Nepal A fall to Oman in opening practice match

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 23: Nepal A suffered a 70-run defeat to Oman in the first match of the one-day practice series at Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

Opting to bat first, Oman posted 280 for nine in their 50 overs. Nepal, in reply, were dismissed for 210 in 44.4 overs despite fifties from captain Anil Sah and Ishan Pandey.

Sah struck 50 off 64 balls with five boundaries, sharing an 84-run opening stand with Tirtha Raj Das, who made 31. 

Dev Khanal and Pandey added 86 for the third wicket, with Dev scoring 43 off 43 and Pandey 52 off 62. But Nepal A faltered thereafter, losing wickets in clusters and failing to bat out the full quota. Sandeep Jora contributed 11.

For Oman, Shakeel Ahmad impressed with three wickets for just eight runs in four overs. Nadeem Khan and Mujibur Ali claimed two apiece.

Earlier, the visitors, in Nepal for the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 series, were powered by half-centuries from captain Jatinder Singh and Mujibur Ali.

Singh hit 58 off 48 balls, including nine fours and a six, while Mujibur top-scored with 72 off 85. Singh and Aqib Ilyas put on 79 for the first wicket before Santosh Yadav removed both openers. Mujibur then added 91 with Aamir Kaleem, who struck 46 off 41 with three fours and three sixes.

Aakash Chand was Nepal’s most effective bowler, taking four for 31 in nine overs. Yadav picked up two wickets, while Shahab Alam, Sher Malla and Rashid Khan claimed one each.

The second practice match will be played on Friday. The League 2 series, involving Nepal, Oman and the UAE, begins on Saturday, with Oman facing the UAE in their opener on Monday.