Nepal suffered a five-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in their opening match of the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. The match was held at the UKM Oval Cricket Ground in Bangi, Malaysia.
Chasing Nepal’s modest target of 53 runs, Bangladesh achieved victory in 13.2 overs, losing five wickets along the way.
Match Highlights:
• Bangladesh Batting:
• Sadia Islam scored 16 runs off 24 balls, including one boundary.
• Sumaiya Attar contributed 12 runs, and Afia Ashima added 9 runs to the tally.
• Nepal Bowling:
• Rachana Chaudhary, Riya Sharma, Simana KC, and Puja Mahato each claimed one wicket.
Earlier, Nepal, batting first after losing the toss, managed just 52 runs in 18.2 overs.
Nepal Batting:
• Top Performers:
• Sana Pravin scored 19 runs off 32 balls.
• Simana KC contributed 10 runs.
• Other batters struggled, with captain Puja Mahato scoring just 2 runs, Alisha Yadav 4, and Riya Sharma remaining unbeaten with 5 runs.
Bangladesh Bowling:
• Janathun Maola claimed two wickets.
• Anisa Sova, Foyomodi Choya, and Nishita Akhtar each picked up one wicket.
Upcoming Matches:
Nepal will face Scotland on January 21 in their second group-stage match.
Group D Standings:
Nepal is in Group D alongside Bangladesh, Scotland, and Australia. To progress to the Super Six stage, Nepal must secure at least one win in the group stage.
In the other Group D match played today, Australia defeated Scotland by nine wickets.
Nepal now faces a critical must-win situation to keep their hopes alive in the tournament.