(Group A)

India vs Nepal

With the help of an all-round performance by skipper Dipendra Singh, Nepal stun India in the low-scoring Group A clash.

After winning the toss, India decided to bowl first. Nepal managed to put 185/8 at the end of 50 overs. India only managed 166 runs before getting all-out in 48.1 overs.

The regular wickets falling kept always pressure to the Nepal team, but thanks to the skipper Dipendra Singh’s brilliant 88 runs knock and the opener Jitendra Singh Thakuri’s supportive 36 runs knock, Nepal managed to put 185 runs on the board in 50 overs for the loss of 8 wickets.

During the Nepal innings, Indian bowlers always kept in tight lines. Aditya Thakare (2/33) and Abhishek Sharma (2/38) grabbed two wickets each while Vivekanand Tiwari (1/36), Mandeep Singh (1/18), Shiva Singh (1/27) and Atharva Taide (1/10) added one wicket with their names.

In reply, India started very fine with a 65-runs opening partnership between skipper Himanshu Rana (46 runs) and Manjot Kalra (35 runs). But after that, Indian wickets were falling in the regular interval as no one was standing at the crease for long period.

Abhishek Sharma (27 runs) was the only other Indian batsman who crossed 20-runs mark as India fell 19 runs short of the Nepal’s total.

Nepal skipper Dipendra Singh took 4 wickets with conceding 39 runs in his 10-overs quota while Pawan Sarraf (2/24) and Shahab Alam (2/11) picked up two wickets each. Also, Kamal Singh and Sandeep Lamichhane earned a wicket each.

Brief Scores:

Nepal – 185/8 in 50 overs (Dipendra Singh 88, Jitendra Singh Thakuri 36, Aditya Thakare 2/33)

India – 166 in 48.1 overs (Himanshu Rana 46, Manjot Kalra 35, Dipendra Singh 4/39)

Result – Nepal won by 19 runs

(Group B)

Pakistan vs UAE

In the Group B encounter, Pakistan clinched their first victory in this tournament by outplaying UAE at Royal Selangor Club (Kuala Lumpur).

Pakistan decided to bat first after winning the toss and made 299 runs before getting all out in 47.1 overs. In reply, UAE was bundled out for just 73 runs as Pakistan won the match by 226 runs.

After the batting woes against Afghanistan in their opening game of this tournament, where Pakistan had suffered a humiliating 7 wickets defeat, Pakistan again failed to make a good opening start in this match as their opener Muhammad Mohsin Khan was dismissed for a duck.

However, another opener Mohammad Arif and no.3 batsman Abdullah Shafique took the responsibility to control the innings. With the 79-runs partnership between them for the second wicket, Pakistan got a platform to put a big total on the board. Both of them were dismissed for 56 runs while no.5 batsman Mohammad Taha took the major responsibility from the middle of that innings.

Taha missed a well-deserved century just for 6 runs as he was caught and bowled by left-arm pacer Shah Faisal Khan on 94 runs.

Adding some important contributions by the lower order batsmen, Pakistan managed to put 299 runs on the board but failed to play full 50-overs as they were bowled out in 47.1 overs.

Among the UAE bowlers, Marlon Malcom Singh (2/51), Rahul Neelesh (2/43) and Aryan Lakra (2/34) picked up two wickets each while Shah Faisal Khan, Muhammad Ali, Kartik Palaniappan and Hrithik each took a piece of the wicket.

Chasing down the exact 300-target, UAE was never looking competitive as they were bundled out just for 73 runs in 26 overs. Opener Ansh was the highest scorer with 21 runs knock while another opener Aryan Lakra (11) and no.10 batsman Shah Faisal Khan (11) were the only other batsman to reach two-digit score.

Among the Pakistan bowlers, skipper Hasan Khan (3/14) and Muhammad Musa (3/11) shared three wickets each while Shaheen Afradi (1/21) and Munir Riaz (2/16) picked up one and two wickets respectively.

Brief Scores:

Pakistan – 299 in 47.1 overs (Mohammad Taha 94, Mohammad Arif 56, Aryan Lakra 2/34)

UAE – 73 in 26 overs (Ansh 21, Shah Faisal Khan 11, Muhammad Musa 3/11)

Result – Pakistan won by 226 runs

Points Table

(Group A)