http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 Under-19 World Cup Qualifier - Match Recap
Nepal 154 (44.3 ov) Afghanistan 112 (38.5 ov) - Nepal won by 42 runs
Nepal’s Under-19 cricket team started the International Cricket Council Under-19 World Cup Qualifier 2011 season on a winning note as they trounced Afghanistan’s Under-19 by 42 runs.
The match was played at Observatory Lane, Dublin, which is a neutral venue. Afghanistan’s skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shir-Shirzai-c90029, won the toss and in an attempt to reap the most of the seaming conditions, forced opposition to bat first.
Nepali vanguards, Subash Khakurel and Fajlur Rahman, were up to the task as they fought fire with fire. Afghanistan’s new ball bowlers, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Aftab-Alam-c945 and Yamin Ahmadzai, were helpless against the onslaught from wicket-keeper batsman Khakurel and Rahman.
This forced the skipper Shirzai to make a double bowling change. He brought himself on from Yamin’s end while Sayed Shirzad was given a go from Aftab’s end.
Bringing Shirzad on was fruitful for Afghanis as he ended the opening partnership, which yielded 55 runs, in his first over. The left-arm medium-pacer saw the back of Rahman, who made 26 runs from 30 deliveries.
Sagar Pun came at number three spot and failed to capitalise on the start provided by the opening pair. Pun could only contribute three runs to the tally.
In the 14th over, the batsman lashed at a full pitched delivery in an attempt to clear the in-field, but got an outside edge which flew to the slips were Najibullah Zadran took it gladly. Pun became Shirzai’s first victim of the day.
Afghanis bounced back by taking four more wickets while conceding just 25 runs within a span of six overs. This included the wicket of Nepali captain, Prithu Baskota, who got out on the very first delivery that he faced.
Pulami Magar and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Graham-Paul-Thorpe-c60622 total of 154.
Afghanistan needed 155 runs to win on a track that seemed to suit the bowlers. Their opening partnership failed miserably as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javed-Ahmadi-c66518 was back in the dressing room with just four runs on the board.
On the last ball of first over, the batsman chased a wide delivery from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bhavaraju-Avinash-c47993 Karn and ultimately got an outside edge, which carried to the palms of the wicket-keeper Khakurel.
The second wicket stand of 53 runs between Hashmatullah Shaidi and Shirzai turned the match in Afghanistan’s favour. However, Shirzai threw his wicket in the 19th over, when he chipped the ball straight at the hands of bowler, Vishwakarma, who
took it gladly.
That was the opening for which Nepalis were searching for; they never let the incoming batsmen settle. Vishwakarma and Baskota were complementing each other very nicely as they both took wickets at regular intervals.
The sixth-wicket partnership between Afsar http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohibullah-c77561 Paak put up some resistance by compiling 22 runs, but their efforts went in vain as Afghanistan was dismissed for 112 with 11 overs and one ball to spare.
Vishwakarma and Baskota were the ones who provided most of breakthroughs for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nepal-c2965 as they ended with figures of four for 23 and three for 19 respectively.
Wicket-keeper batsman Khakurel was adjudged the Man of the Match for his impressive innings of 54.
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