Nepal’s U-19 team faced a heavy defeat against Afghanistan U-19 by 130 runs in the first match of the Youth ODI series, which started in Kathmandu on Thursday.
Afghanistan Sets a Strong Target
Afghanistan batted first and set a challenging target of 301 runs for Nepal. They scored 301 runs in 50 overs, losing 9 wickets. The top performers for Afghanistan were Faisal Sinjozai, who scored 97 runs, and opener Khalid Ahmadzai, who made 76 runs. The two built a strong partnership of 154 runs for the second wicket. Barket Ibrahimzai contributed with 35 runs.
Nepal’s Struggle with the Bat
Chasing the target of 301 runs, Nepal’s U-19 team could only manage to score 170 runs in 46.1 overs before being all out. Despite a solid half-century from Niraj Yadav, who scored 53 runs, Nepal struggled to build partnerships. Ashok Dhami and Santosh Yadav both scored 24 runs, while Abhishek Tiwari added 17 runs.
Afghanistan’s Bowling Dominance
Afghanistan’s bowlers dominated the Nepalese batting line-up. Zia-ul-Haq Shaheen was the standout bowler, taking 2 wickets for just 24 runs in 10 overs. Mahbub Khan and Wahidullah Zadran also contributed with 2 wickets each. Abdul Aziz and Nooristani Omraiz picked up one wicket each.
Nepal’s Bowling Performance
Nepal’s bowlers put up a fight, with Santosh Yadav taking 3 wickets. Abhishek Tiwari followed with 2 wickets, while Dayanand Mandal and Bipin Prasad Sharma each took 1 wicket. Despite their efforts, it wasn’t enough to stop Afghanistan from setting a strong target.
The second match of the series will be played on Sunday.
