Nepal finishes 13th among 16 teams in U19 T20 World Cup

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Jan. 25: The Nepali women’s team finished 13th in the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup after defeating hosts Malaysia in the playoffs for 13th to 16th place at Johor Cricket Academy Oval, Johor, on Friday. 

It was the final game for Nepal after getting knocked out of the group stage alongside Pakistan, Samoa, and Malaysia. Nepal was facing Malaysia after Pakistan competed against Samoa on the same ground. Pakistan defeated Samoa to finish 14th in the second edition of the World Cup.

Malaysia had lost all group games against India, Sri Lanka and West Indies while Bangladesh, Scotland and Australia defeated Nepal. Thus, the final game on Friday was the chance for the hosts and Nepal to end their campaign positively. However, Nepal was on the happier end.

It was skipper Puja Mahato who shone with both bat and ball to take Nepal to a comfortable win over the hosts. Winning the toss and electing to field first, Nepal had Malaysia bundled out at 45 runs in 16.5 overs. 

Mahato began the bowling attack for Nepal and started with a wide. However, she caught and bowled Malaysian opener Nur Aliya in the first legal delivery. It was also Mahato who bagged the final wicket in 16.5 overs with an inswinger to have Nazwah out for a duck.

In her 3.5-over spell, Mahato took four wickets in total and gave only nine runs. Similarly, Rachana Chaudhary claimed three wickets while Riya Sharma and Seemana KC took one each for Nepal. Nuriman was the sole Malaysian batter to score in double figures (15 off 23).

The four-wicket haul also took Mahato to the top of the leading wicket-takers list in the World Cup. She has 9 wickets in four games and is followed by Sri Lanka’s Chamudi Praboda and Scotland’s Maisie Maceira with seven wickets in three games each. 

Nevertheless, despite a low target to chase, Nepal lost three wickets in the first powerplay; all those wickets were bagged by Marsya. However, Mahato, with 23 off 32, partnered with Seemana KC, 4 off 10, to chase the target in 11 overs and win the game by seven wickets.

With the win, Nepal now looks forward to returning home with their heads held high. Furthermore, it was itself a historic moment when the squad took Nepal to the World Cup as the winners of the Asian Qualifiers in December last year.

Now, Nepal will be aiming for a better result in the next edition as the mountainous country is co-hosting the third edition in 2027 with Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, defending champions India and South Africa, toppers of respective groups in Super 6, are facing England and Australia in the semi-finals on January 31 to aim for the final scheduled on February 2.