Nepal cruise past Singapore in ACC U-16 East Cup opener

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 23: Nepal launched their ACC Men’s U-16 East Cup title defence with a convincing six-wicket victory over Singapore on Sunday in Malaysia.

Chasing a modest target of 139, Nepal reached the mark in 33.3 overs, losing just four wickets.

Opener Prashiddha Jaishi anchored the innings with a composed 55 off 97 balls, including five boundaries. He shared a 63-run stand with Raunak Srivastav, who struck a brisk 40 from 44 deliveries, peppered with five fours and a six.

The pair came together after Suryanshu Koirala (9 off 7) retired hurt in the second over and Shiwansh Bajgain (9 off 16) was caught at mid-on by Kapish Venkatraman off Aakash Teja in the ninth over.

Shubham Khanal remained unbeaten on 9 from 20 balls, while Joy Thapa added 4 from 12. Stand-in skipper Subam Budhathoki was dismissed for a duck.

For Singapore, Aakash Teja was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets, while Yuvaan Pandey claimed one.

Earlier, Singapore elected to bat first at the YSD UKM Oval in Bangi, but were dismissed for 138 in 36.1 overs. Skipper Riaan Naik top-scored with a run-a-ball 53, studded with nine boundaries. Opener Aahan Vuthandam chipped in with a fluent 38 off 33 balls, while fellow opener Roshan Arun made 11.

Aahan and Rohan Austin Arun (11 off 38) added 49 for the opening stand, but momentum slipped after Bipin Prasad Sharma had Aahan caught by Srivastav in the 11th over. Rohan then put on 16 with Pranad Eshan Meduri (12 off 20), before wickets began to tumble.

Singapore stumbled to 89/5 by the 23rd over. Captain Riaan briefly rebuilt with a 16-run stand alongside Aarav Aggarwal (1 off 9) and later partnered Shah Rudransh Premdeep (6 off 17) for 29 runs.

Outside the top four, no other Singapore batter reached double figures, falling to Nepal's disciplined attack.

Nepal’s bowling was spearheaded by skipper Bipin Sharma with 4 wickets. Sachin Bhatt took 3, while Shubham Khanal and Abhay Yadav chipped in with one apiece.

The win earned Nepal two points, while Singapore were left empty-handed in their tournament debut.

Nepal are placed in Group A alongside Singapore, Indonesia, Bhutan, and Japan. Group B features hosts Malaysia, Hong Kong, Maldives, Thailand, and Myanmar.

Three-time champions Nepal will face Japan next on Tuesday, followed by a clash against Indonesia on Sunday. They wrap up their group campaign against Bhutan. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, with the final set for 5 July.

Meanwhile, Kaisei Kobayashi hammered the first century of the tournament to propel Japan to a commanding 215-run victory over Bhutan in their ACC Men’s U-16 East Zone Cup clash.

Kobayashi anchored Japan’s innings with a masterful 104 off 109 balls, featuring nine boundaries and a six, as Japan posted a daunting 312 for 6 in their allotted 50 overs. He shared a crucial 162-run partnership with Monty Hara Hinze (60 off 85), setting the stage for a late onslaught from Gabby Hara Hinze, who blazed an unbeaten 42 off just 18 deliveries.

In reply, Bhutan crumbled under pressure and were skittled out for just 97 in 37 overs. Japanese skipper Charlie Hinze led the bowling charge with a clinical spell of 4 for 11 from eight overs, including three maidens. Only Tshezang Dawa (19) offered brief resistance for Bhutan, whose top order collapsed to 14 for 3 within the first seven overs.

Kobayashi was named Player of the Match for his all-round dominance in a game.