ICC Cricket In Malaysia: Nepal Defeat Bermuda

Day two of Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 3 saw Uganda go to the top of the table with a last-ball, one-run victory over Singapore, defending champion Nepal record a resounding eight-wicket victory over Bermuda, and Malaysia overcome USA by five wickets.

Nepal bowlers set up resounding victory over Bermuda, while Batsmen shined again in Malaysia win against USA.

At Kinrara Oval, Uganda posted 196 and then restricted Singapore to 195, while Nepal chased down its 101-run target in 11.1 overs to beat Bermuda by eight wickets. Malaysia overhauled the USA total of 186 to post 189 with five wickets in hand.

Uganda sealed its second victory of the tournament with a last-gasp, one run victory over Singapore. After winning the toss and electing to bat, Uganda posted 196, with opener Roger Mukasa top-scoring with 37, putting on a 62-run partnership for the first wicket with left-hander Arthur Kyobe [19]. Hamu Bagenda added a patient 36, while the tail enders all made a contribution.

Singapore skipper Saad Junjua was the standout bowler for his side, snapping up four for 25, while Amjad Mahboob claimed two for 50.

Singapore openers Arjun Mutreja [34] and Chaminda Ruwan [24] recorded a 39 run first-wicket stand, while Chetan Suryawanshi [42] and Anish Paraan [36] ensured that Singapore was always in touching distance, but the side was not able to score the three runs required off the last ball, losing the match by one run.

Uganda’s Roger Mukasa, Frank Nsubuga and Jonathan Ssebanja took two wickets apiece.

Elated Uganda captain Frank Nsubuga said: “The boys have been working really hard, and the morale is high. Of course we were feeling the pressure at the end of game. The ball was coming onto the bat, so I decided to tell one of my medium pacers to bowl spin – and it worked. I think he has done a good job.”

The victory leaves Uganda as the only undefeated team in the tournament, however, Nsubuga said he would not be complacent, commenting, “We’ll come back on Sunday and play hard. Today we didn’t field too well, and we cannot afford to field like that again.”

In the second match of the day, Nepal recorded its first win of the tournament with a convincing eight-wicket victory over Bermuda at Selangor Turf Club.

After sending Bermuda in to bat, Paras Khadka’s men dismissed the young Bermuda side for 100 inside 41 overs before chasing down the target in 11.1 overs with eight wickets in hand.

Christian Burgess was again a stalwart for Bermuda, with his 68-ball knock of 28 the highest for his team. Trey Manders chipped in with 21, but Bermuda lost wickets regularly and was dismissed for 100 in 40.1 overs.

For Nepal, Shakti Gauchan starred with the ball, claiming two wickets for seven runs, while Amrit Bhattarai and Basant Regmi also claimed two wickets.

In reply, Nepal went straight for the boundaries, with Subash Khakurel’s 22-ball knock of 30 including four fours and one six, and man of the match Binod Bhandari smashing a 31-ball 43 with eight fours and one six to see his side reach victory in 11.1 overs.

Nepal skipper Paras Khadka was pleased with the convincing result: “After the loss yesterday [Oct 23] we were pretty disappointed, we had to come back strong and I think the boys put up a very good performance. The bowlers set it up and the batters put on a clinical performance. This is just the beginning, so we will take it one game at a time.”

The 27-year-old continued: “We wanted to get our run rate as high as possible. In World Cricket Leagues, the run rates always play a very important role, so that is why we pushed. Binod Bhandari batted very well, and all the bowlers contributed with a couple of wickets, so overall it was a very good team performance.”

Bermuda captain Janeiro Tucker was disappointed with the loss, saying, “We didn’t bat out the innings, instead of batting for 10 or 20 overs, we need to make sure we bat out 50 overs. We need to work on our line, so we’ll go back today [Oct 24], talk about a few things, and refocus for Sunday. We will be looking for a win.

“If we can win against Malaysia and Singapore, and get a good result against Uganda, we’ll be in a good position.”

In the third match of the day, home team Malaysia recorded a five-wicket victory over the USA at Bayeumas. The host restricted the USA to 186 for eight from its 50 overs after sending the USA in to bat, and posted 189 for the loss of five wickets in the 49th over to seal its first victory of the tournament.

Adil Bhatti [42] and Srinivasa Santhanam [36] were the main run-scorers for the USA, with Shahrulnizam Yusof, Suresh Navaratnam and Khizar Hayat each taking two wickets for Malaysia.

In its response, Malaysia again posted two half-centuries, with man of the match Shafiq Sharif [59 not out] and Suharril Fetri [55 not out] hitting the winning runs to seal victory for Malaysia.

Delighted Malaysia captain Ahmed Faiz reflected: “I was really impressed with our bowlers as they got their rhythm back today. The USA scored 186, which shows that the bowlers managed to stop the runs. I am happy with the performance of the batters too.

“We are really looking forward to playing Bermuda on Sunday, we will be looking to improve in some areas for that match.”

Points table as of October 24:

Scores in brief:

At Kinrara

• Uganda 196 all out, 50 overs [Roger Mukasa 37, Hamu Bagenda 36; Saad Junjua 4-25, Amjad Mahboob 2-50]
• Singapore 195 for nine, 50 overs [Chetan Suryawanshi 42, Anish Paraan 36, Arjun Mutreja 34; Roger Mukasa 2-32, Frank Nsubuga 2-33, Jonathan Ssebanja 2-36]
• Uganda won by one run
• Player of the Match: Roger Mukasa [Uganda]

At Bayeumas

• USA 186 for eight, 50 overs [Adil Bhatti 42, Srinivasa Santhanam 36; Shahrulnizam Yusof 2-19, Suresh Navaratnam 2-35, Khizar Hayat 2-41]
• Malaysia 189 for five, 48.2 overs [Shafiq Sharif 59 not out, Suharril Fetri 55 not out, Ahmen Faiz 32; Karen Ganesh 2-26]
• Malaysia won by five wickets
• Player of the Match: Shafiq Sharif [Malaysia]

At Selangor Turf Club

• Bermuda 100 all out, 40.1 overs [Christian Burgess 28; Shakti Gauchan 2-7, Amrit Bhattarai 2-20, Basant Regmi 2-27]
• Nepal 101 for two, 11.1 overs [Binod Bhandari 43 not out, Subash Khakurel 30]
• Nepal won by eight wickets
• Player of the Match: Binod Bhandari [Nepal]

Saturday [Oct 25] is a rest day. The fixtures for Sunday [Oct 26] are:

• At Kinrara: Malaysia v Bermuda
• At Bayeumas: Nepal v Singapore
• At Selangor Turf Club: USA v Uganda

All matches are scheduled to start at 10.15am local time.

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