Nepal secured a consolation victory in the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup by defeating Malaysia by 7 wickets in the playoff match.
Chasing a target of 46 runs set by Malaysia, Nepal reached the goal in 11 overs with the loss of 3 wickets. Captain Puja Mahato played an unbeaten knock of 23 runs, while Simana KC remained not out with 4 runs. Malaysia’s Marsia claimed 3 wickets.
Earlier, Malaysia batted first after winning the toss and were all out for 45 runs in 16.5 overs. Nuriman was the top scorer with 15 runs. For Nepal, captain Puja Mahato delivered an impressive performance, taking 4 wickets for just 9 runs in 3.5 overs. Rachana Chaudhary took 3 wickets, while Simana KC and Riya Sharma took one wicket each.
Puja Mahato has emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament so far, with 9 wickets in 4 matches, including the group stage and playoffs.
Although the Super Six and semifinal matches are yet to be played, Puja currently holds the top spot among bowlers.
In the group stage, Nepal suffered defeats against Bangladesh, Scotland, and Australia.