Nepal into ACC U16 East Zone Cup semis

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 30: Defending champions Nepal have secured a semi-final berth in the ACC U-16 Men’s East Zone Cup 2025, thanks to a scintillating century from opener Prashiddha Jaishi and a six-wicket haul from Captain Bipin Prasad Sharma.

Nepal crushed Indonesia by a record margin of 370 runs, sealing their place in the last four with a group match to spare.

Chasing a daunting target of 421, Indonesia were bundled out for just 50 runs in 24.3 overs. Only Kavin Neeraj Chadda (15 off 34) and Divit Nanda (14 off 31) managed to reach double figures, as nine batters fell for single-digit scores.

Leading from the front, skipper Bipin was unplayable with the ball, returning exceptional figures of 6 for 12 from 7.3 overs. Shubham Khanal and Sugam Budhathoki chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Earlier, Nepal posted a mammoth 420 for 5 in 50 overs after being invited to bat first.

Opener Prashiddha Jaishi smashed 132 off 114 balls, laced with 15 boundaries and a six. He shared a blistering 132-run stand off 62 balls for the opening wicket with fellow opener Parimarjan Yadav, who bludgeoned 71 off 28 balls, including 4 fours and 8 sixes.

Shiwansh Bajgain contributed 4 runs off 6 deliveries after coming in at No. 3.

Jaishi then forged another hefty 148-run partnership off 136 balls for the third wicket with Raunak Srivastav, who dazzled with 88 off 71 balls, striking 8 fours and 2 sixes.

In the later stages, Sugam Budhathoki and Joy Thapa added 74 runs off 57 balls for the fifth wicket. Joy played a fluent knock of 57 off 41 balls, featuring 7 boundaries.

For the sixth wicket, Sugam (39 off 34) and Roshan Shahi (10) took Nepal to the finish line with an unbeaten 33-run stand.

Indonesia's bowlers found the going tough. Ketut Darma Putra claimed 2 wickets, while Kavin Neeraj Chanda, Mahendra Aji, and Ryhhan Riza took one apiece.

The result knocks Indonesia out of the tournament, having suffered defeats in all three matches. Nepal had previously triumphed over Singapore and Japan. Nepal will play their final group match against Bhutan on Tuesday.