Nepal finished third in the inaugural ACC U19 Women’s T20 Asia Cup after losing to Bangladesh by nine wickets in their final Super 4 match at Bayuemas Cricket Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday.
The win allowed Bangladesh to advance to the final, where they will face India. India secured their spot by defeating Sri Lanka by four wickets in the first match of the day.
Nepal’s match was once again disrupted by rain, marking the third time in the tournament that weather conditions impacted their game. Nepal’s group-stage match against India on December 17 had to be abandoned after just three overs of the second inning, and their Super 4 game against Sri Lanka was also called off after just one over of play.
Before their match against Bangladesh, Nepal had one win and two no-results from three games. This defeat to Bangladesh marked their first loss in the tournament. If Nepal had won, they would have qualified for the final, but the game was reduced to 11 overs per side due to rain, and Nepal could not perform well.
Nepal’s campaign started on a high note with a win against Pakistan, but against Bangladesh, the team struggled. Bangladesh, who topped Group B, had no intentions of letting Nepal win, and their captain, Sumaiya Akter, set a target of restricting Nepal to under 40 runs after winning the toss and choosing to bowl first.
Nepal’s captain, Puja Mahato, aimed to score 100 runs in the 11 overs, but the team fell short. Nepal managed just 54 runs in 8 wickets, with poor running between the wickets being a key issue. Openers Sana Praveen and Sabitri Dhami, along with Sony Pakhrin and Kusum Godar, were all run out, contributing just 20 runs between them. Mahato, the second-highest scorer in the tournament, was dismissed for just a single digit.
Despite a wet outfield, Nepal hoped to defend their low total. However, Bangladesh’s top-order chased down the target with ease. Fahomida Choya (26 off 32) and Mst Eva (18 off 21) put up a solid partnership, with Mst Sumaiya Akther Suborna (10 off 6) supporting Choya to take Bangladesh to the final with seven balls to spare.
Puja Mahato, with 81 runs, was the second-highest run scorer of the tournament before the final. Nepal’s Alisha Kumari Yadav also impressed, boasting the best strike rate of the tournament at 186.67.
