Nepal end T20 World Cup practice tour on high

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Feb.1: The Nepali men’s cricket team defeated Mumbai Cricket Academy (MCA) Presidents XI by 48 runs in their second practice match in Mumbai, India, on Saturday.

Winning the toss at the Brabourne Cricket Stadium, Nepal opted to bat first and posted 183 for 5 in 20 overs. In reply, MCA were restricted to 135 for 8 in their allotted overs.

Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane claimed three wickets, while Lalit Rajbanshi and Gulshan Jha picked up two apiece. Lamichhane had missed the Sri Lanka tour due to his Bangladesh Premier League commitments, and after arriving in Mumbai was unwell, forcing him to sit out the first practice match.

For MCA, opener Mulchandani top-scored with 47 off 27 balls before being run out, while fellow opener Saxena added 23. Kamath and Khan contributed 17 and 12 runs respectively.

Earlier, Nepal’s innings was anchored by Aarif Sheikh, who struck an unbeaten 66 off 42 balls. Sundeep Jora added 31 from 26 deliveries, Aasif Sheikh made 25 off 17, and Gulshan chipped in with a brisk 23 from 12 balls. Opener Lokesh Bam scored 15, while Basir Ahmad managed 9.

Mangukia and Chavan took two wickets each for MCA.

Nepal had won their first practice match on Friday night by seven wickets, chasing 143 in 17.2 overs. Skipper Rohit Paudel led the way with an unbeaten 50, supported by Kushal Bhurtel (38), Dipendra Singh Airee (28) and Aasif Sheikh (16). MCA had earlier posted 142 for 9 in 20 overs.

With Saturday’s victory, Nepal’s practice fixtures ahead of the World Cup are complete.

Having completed their T20 World Cup preparation tour in Sri Lanka, Nepal are in Mumbai for two practice matches, following three tune-up matches against Sri Lanka A in Colombo.

The team will now travel from Mumbai to Chennai on Sunday, where they will play two warm-up matches against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 3 February and Canada on 5 February.

Nepal will begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign on 8 February against England. They are drawn in Group C alongside two-time champions West Indies, former champions England, Italy and Scotland.