Nepal stumble in Asia Qualifier final, Thailand clinch title

By A Staff Reporter 

Kathmandu, May 21: Nepal fell short in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier's last match, suffering a heavy 78-run defeat to hosts Thailand in Bangkok on Tuesday.

A win in the final would have been the icing on the cake, as Nepal had already booked a spot in the Global Qualifier. However, the loss exposed key weaknesses that must be addressed for the next stage.

Chasing a stiff target of 159 at the Terdthai Cricket Ground, Nepal’s batting lineup crumbled, managing only 80 runs in their full quota of 20 overs while losing nine wickets.

Nepal’s top order collapsed early, losing four wickets inside the powerplay with just 31 runs on the board. Openers Samjhana Khadka and Rubi Poddar departed cheaply, scoring 9 and 4 runs, respectively. 

Skipper Indu Barma, who had played a match-winning knock against UAE and Bahrain, fell for 7, while Vice-captain Pooja Mahato was dismissed for a duck.

Nepal never recovered from the early setback. Kabita Kunwar showed some resistance, scoring 24 off 33 balls, while Rajmati Airee remained unbeaten on 20 and Rubina Chhetri chipped in with 12. However, no other batter reached double figures. Roma Thapa, Ishwori Bist, and Riya Sharma were all dismissed for duck.

Thailand’s bowlers kept Nepal under pressure throughout the innings. Onnicha Kamchomphu picked up a four-wicket haul, conceding just 11 runs, while Thipatcha Putthawong bagged three scalps for 14 runs.

Earlier, Nepal won the toss and opted to field but struggled to contain Thailand’s batters. Nattaya Boochatham and Nannapat Koncharoenkai smashed half-centuries, steering Thailand to 158/2 in their 20 overs. Nepal’s bowlers, Manisha Upadhyay and Rajmati Airee, claimed a wicket each.

Nattaya and Aphisara Suwanchonrathi built a solid opening stand of 75 runs, with the latter scoring 29 off 43 balls. Nattaya played a fluent knock of 50 off 42 balls before being dismissed by Manisha, while Nannapat remained unbeaten with a quickfire 50 off 28 balls. Natthakan Chantham contributed 15 off 9 balls.

In the Super Three stage, both Nepal and Thailand defeated UAE to qualify for the Global Qualifier. Nepal registered a historic five-wicket win over UAE on Monday. However, Thailand dominated the final to clinch the championship title with 10 points, while Nepal finished with 7.

In the group stage, Nepal registered two wins over Bahrain but lost to Hong Kong. With Hong Kong winning only one match and Bahrain’s games affected by rain, Nepal advanced to the Super Three as the top team based on match wins.