Lumbini bag second win, Janakpur make winning start

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Dec 26: Sri Lankan batter Lahiru Milantha inspired Lumbini All-Star Stars registered a second win in a row following its dramatic three-run victory over Biratnagar Super Kings at Nepal T-20 Cricket League at T.U Cricket Ground, Kathmandu on Sunday. The win moved Lumbini to the top of the league standings with four points. 

With equal two points Kathmandu Knights and Janakpur Royals, being inferior in a run-rate, trail at second and third place in a pecking order. Milantha smashed 80 runs off 63 balls to single-handedly guide Lumbini to a total of 157 runs. Lumbini lost six wickets in 20 overs.  

Milantha hammered five boundaries and four sixes in Lumbini’s consecutive second win.  Kushal Bhurtel scored 26 runs off 17 balls; Skipper Dipendra Singh Airee (16) and Bipul Sharma (11) were other double-digit scorers for the winner.

Nandan Yadev, Pakistani bowler Hussain Talant, Shahab Alam, Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe and West Indies bowler Andre Mclntosh McCarthy grabbed one wicket each for Biratnagar.

Biratnagar, in reply, managed to collect 154 runs losing six wickets in 20 overs. Pakistani all-rounder Hussain Talat scored the highest 39 runs for Biratnagar. Rohit Paudel came with 25 runs and Prithu Baskota hit 18 runs off 20 balls for the losing team.

Kishore Mahato grabbed two wickets whereas Pat Brown of England, Gulsan Jha, Skipper Airee and Sagar Dhakal picked one wicket each to help Lumbini cruise home.  Lumbini thrashed Far West United by 152 runs in the opener of the tournament on Saturday.

Pokhara suffer 2nd defeat

In the first match of the day, Janakpur Royals defeated Pokhara Avengers by five wickets to make a winning start in Nepal’s official franchise league. 

Janakpur chased the target of 139 runs losing five wickets in the 17.4 overs to inflict Pokhara's straight second defeat. The middle order Sundeep Jora topped the score with 40 runs off 30 balls that included two boundaries and three sixes.

Similarly, opener and skipper Trevon Griffith of West Indies hit 38 runs off 35 balls while West Indies' top order batter Chadwick Walton contributed 19 runs off 20 balls in the win of Janakpur.

Zahir Khan claimed three wickets for Pokhara.

Earlier, batting first, Pokhara scored 138 runs losing all the wickets in 19.4 overs. Opener Aasif Sheikh contributed with the highest 50 runs off 39 balls whereas Siddhant Lohani hit 29 runs off 16 balls and Pratis GC came up with 28 runs off 18 balls.

West Indies right-arm fast-medium Kesrick Williams claimed three wickets for Janakpur. Pawan Sarraf, Afghani bowler Sharafuddin Ashraf and Lalit Rajbanshi also grabbed two wickets to bowl out Pokhara for a mediocre score.