By:Pradeep Bhujel
HEMANTA RAJ KAFLE
TOWNSVILLE: Nepal got their ICC U-19 World Cup campaign to a worst possible start crashing to their second lowest total in a 212-run loss to the defending champions Australia here today.
In a Group ‘A’ match at the Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville, hosts Australia made 294-7 in 50 overs following a classy century from Cameron Bancroft after they were put in to bat first. Nepal were dismissed for a paltry 82 in 23.1 overs after Harry Conway cut short their chase early on with a hat-trick. Nepal’s lowest total ever in the U-19 cricket is 74 — against the West Indies in the 2008 Plate Championship final.
Nepal’s skipper Prithu Baskota admitted that the things didn’t go as planned by the team. “We had targeted to restrict Australia to a low total but that didn’t happen. With huge target to achieve, we tried to play openly and the batting terribly collapsed,” said Prithu.
Conway bowled out-of-form Pradeep Airee (one) and in-form Naresh Budhayer in the fifth and sixth ball of his second over before dislodging the bails of Prithu (naught) in the first ball of the third over to reduce Nepal to 11-3 in 5.1 overs. Gurinder Sandhu ended Subash Khakurel’s 29-ball resistance with a short delivery that went straight to wicketkeeper Bancroft.
Subash made 12 runs with two hits to the boundaries. Sagar Pun and Rajesh Pulami added 42 for the fifth wicket — the best Nepal did in their innings. After Sagar threw his wicket to spinner Ashton Turner at mid-off, Nepal lost their last six wickets for just 19 runs. Sagar top scored for Nepal with a 39-ball 22 that included three boundaries.
Rajesh — dismissed by Turner as the second last Nepali wicket to fall — made 21 in 29 deliveries with a four. Hashim Ansari was the next best scorer with 13 runs from 16 balls that included two fours. Turner finished with 28-4, while Alex Gregory also had two scalps.
Earlier, Australia took full advantage of Nepal’s sloppy work in the field and a fine 125 from Bancroft to pile on a mammoth total. Bancroft shared a 160-run stand for the second wicket with Kurtis Patterson after Krishna Karki had dismissed another opener Jimmy Peirson (19) in the eighth over. Bhuwan Karki gave Nepal the much-needed breakthrough bowling out Patterson in the 38th over after being hit for a six.
Patterson — the most aggressive among the two batsmen — made an 87-ball 86 with five fours and two sixes. Bancroft completed his century with a single off Avinash Karn in the 43rd over. He hit Avinash for two sixes and a four in the 45th over plundering 18 runs alone but the latter had his revenge in the last ball with Sagar taking a brilliant catch at the deep midwicket.
Rahul BK (2-50) and Pradeep (2-40) shared four wickets between them for Nepal. Prithu was the most economical of the Nepali bowlers conceding only 26 runs in eight overs.
Nepal’s coach Pubudu Dassanayake said: “The top order unexpectedly collapsed as they failed to cope up with the Australian bowling,” said the coach. Nepal will now play Ireland at the Endeavour Park 1 on Wednesday.
In a Group ‘A’ match at the Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville, hosts Australia made 294-7 in 50 overs following a classy century from Cameron Bancroft after they were put in to bat first. Nepal were dismissed for a paltry 82 in 23.1 overs after Harry Conway cut short their chase early on with a hat-trick. Nepal’s lowest total ever in the U-19 cricket is 74 — against the West Indies in the 2008 Plate Championship final.
Nepal’s skipper Prithu Baskota admitted that the things didn’t go as planned by the team. “We had targeted to restrict Australia to a low total but that didn’t happen. With huge target to achieve, we tried to play openly and the batting terribly collapsed,” said Prithu.
Conway bowled out-of-form Pradeep Airee (one) and in-form Naresh Budhayer in the fifth and sixth ball of his second over before dislodging the bails of Prithu (naught) in the first ball of the third over to reduce Nepal to 11-3 in 5.1 overs. Gurinder Sandhu ended Subash Khakurel’s 29-ball resistance with a short delivery that went straight to wicketkeeper Bancroft.
Subash made 12 runs with two hits to the boundaries. Sagar Pun and Rajesh Pulami added 42 for the fifth wicket — the best Nepal did in their innings. After Sagar threw his wicket to spinner Ashton Turner at mid-off, Nepal lost their last six wickets for just 19 runs. Sagar top scored for Nepal with a 39-ball 22 that included three boundaries.
Rajesh — dismissed by Turner as the second last Nepali wicket to fall — made 21 in 29 deliveries with a four. Hashim Ansari was the next best scorer with 13 runs from 16 balls that included two fours. Turner finished with 28-4, while Alex Gregory also had two scalps.
Earlier, Australia took full advantage of Nepal’s sloppy work in the field and a fine 125 from Bancroft to pile on a mammoth total. Bancroft shared a 160-run stand for the second wicket with Kurtis Patterson after Krishna Karki had dismissed another opener Jimmy Peirson (19) in the eighth over. Bhuwan Karki gave Nepal the much-needed breakthrough bowling out Patterson in the 38th over after being hit for a six.
Patterson — the most aggressive among the two batsmen — made an 87-ball 86 with five fours and two sixes. Bancroft completed his century with a single off Avinash Karn in the 43rd over. He hit Avinash for two sixes and a four in the 45th over plundering 18 runs alone but the latter had his revenge in the last ball with Sagar taking a brilliant catch at the deep midwicket.
Rahul BK (2-50) and Pradeep (2-40) shared four wickets between them for Nepal. Prithu was the most economical of the Nepali bowlers conceding only 26 runs in eight overs.
Nepal’s coach Pubudu Dassanayake said: “The top order unexpectedly collapsed as they failed to cope up with the Australian bowling,” said the coach. Nepal will now play Ireland at the Endeavour Park 1 on Wednesday.
Huge victory for giants
KATHMANDU: Pakistan and West Indies registered back-to-back victories, while Sri Lanka registered their first victory in the ICC U-19 World Cup today.
At the Kev Hackney Oval in Sunshine Coast, Babar Azam’s century helped Pakistan crush Scotland by nine wickets in Group ‘B’. Scotland were all out for 200 in 49.5 overs before Azam — who shared 163-run partnership with Sami Aslam for the first wicket — scored 106 not out to sail Pakistan home in 36.2 overs.
Azam hit 10 fours and two sixes in 121 balls, while Aslam made a 79-ball 78 with 13 fours. Earlier, Mohammad Nawaz (3) returned with economical figures of 4-20 from 10 overs. Opener Ross McLean made 59 runs for Scotland.
In Group ‘C’, West Indies — who had stunned two-time champions India on Sunday — hammered Papua New Guinea (PNG) by nine wickets. PNG were all out for 116 in 41 overs and West Indies surpassed the total in just 11.4 overs after Sunil Ambris clobbered 91 runs in 43 balls. Ambris whirlwind innings included nine boundaries and seven sixes.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, recovered from their shock defeat against Bangladesh in the opening day, by filing a 195-run victory over Namibia in a Group ‘D’ match at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane. Sri Lanka amassed a huge 298-9 and bundled out Namibia for 103 in 35 overs after Lahiru Madushanka picked up four wickets.
At the Kev Hackney Oval in Sunshine Coast, Babar Azam’s century helped Pakistan crush Scotland by nine wickets in Group ‘B’. Scotland were all out for 200 in 49.5 overs before Azam — who shared 163-run partnership with Sami Aslam for the first wicket — scored 106 not out to sail Pakistan home in 36.2 overs.
Azam hit 10 fours and two sixes in 121 balls, while Aslam made a 79-ball 78 with 13 fours. Earlier, Mohammad Nawaz (3) returned with economical figures of 4-20 from 10 overs. Opener Ross McLean made 59 runs for Scotland.
In Group ‘C’, West Indies — who had stunned two-time champions India on Sunday — hammered Papua New Guinea (PNG) by nine wickets. PNG were all out for 116 in 41 overs and West Indies surpassed the total in just 11.4 overs after Sunil Ambris clobbered 91 runs in 43 balls. Ambris whirlwind innings included nine boundaries and seven sixes.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, recovered from their shock defeat against Bangladesh in the opening day, by filing a 195-run victory over Namibia in a Group ‘D’ match at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane. Sri Lanka amassed a huge 298-9 and bundled out Namibia for 103 in 35 overs after Lahiru Madushanka picked up four wickets.
