Nepal’s Thrilling Victory Over Malaysia in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier

Nepal secured its first victory in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier by a narrow margin of five runs against Malaysia.

Despite losing the toss and being asked to bat first at the Bayuemas Oval Cricket Ground in Kuala Lumpur, Nepal set a target of 85 runs for the host nation, Malaysia.

Nepal managed to score 84 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Sita Rana Magar stood unbeaten with 38 runs from 54 balls, including one four. Apsari Begam contributed 17 runs, followed by 12 runs from captain Rubina Chhetry Belbase. Unfortunately, no other players made significant contributions to Nepal’s total.

In response, Malaysia was held to a total of 79 runs, losing nine wickets in their 20 overs. Malaysia’s captain, Winifred Duraisingam, was their top scorer with 28 runs, followed by Ainna Hamizah with 14 and Mas Elysa with 10.

Regarding the bowling, Ainna Hamizah took two wickets, while Mahirah Izzati Ismail, Aisya Eleesa, and Nik Nur Atilea claimed one wicket each.

In this tournament, Nepal has been placed in Group ‘A’ alongside Malaysia, Bahrain, Bhutan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Group ‘B’ consists of China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Kuwait, and Myanmar.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-final round, and the two finalists will earn the opportunity to compete in the Global T-20 qualifier scheduled for 2024.

Nepal’s team, led by Captain Rubina Chhetry Belbase, includes Samjhana Khadka, Kajol Shrestha, Apsari Begam, Sita Rana Magar, Indu Barma, Kabita Kunwar, Kabita Joshi, Puja Mahato, Ashmina Karmacharya, and Khusi Dangol. Nepal’s next match is against Bahrain on Friday.