Nepal put up a valiant show against Pakistan Shaheens in the Top End T20 series but fell agonisingly short of stunning the Men in Green in their clash at Darwin. Chasing 145 for a famous win, Nepal were restricted to 143 as they lost the thriller by one run.
Nepal put up a jaw-dropping show against Pakistan Shaheens in the Top End T20 series but went down fighting in a thriller by one run. Chasing 145 in their seventh match in the tournament, Nepal put up a valiant effort with their skipper scoring a fifty and Dipendra Singh Airee playing a blistering knock as they ran the Men in Green close, but fell short by just one run in the end.ย
Paudel anchored the chase with his 44-ball 52 and kept the team very much in the hunt to stun the Pakistani side. With captain Paudel and hard-hitting Dipendre Singh Airee in the middle, Nepal were always in the hunt. However, with 37 needed off the final four overs, the skipper fell to Pakistan international Mohammad Wasim as the Men in Green sensed a comeback.ย
However, Dipendra kept the team in the hunt with crucial boundaries and brought the equation down to eight needed from the final over. Faisal Akram came to bowl the final over, and he struck in the third ball when he removed Kushal Malla. Nepal needed two runs off the final ball, and Dipendra reverse-swept Faisal, but found aย fielder deep on the off side as the batters sprinted for a couple; however, they could not get the second with Dipendra getting run out at the striker’s end.
Pakistan Shaheens celebrated the win in style as they brought out their raw emotions of a tense win in Darwin. Wasim and Akram scalped two wickets each and played their crucial roles in their team edging out the Nepal side.
Earlier, Pakistan Shaheens had put up 144 with captain Irfan Khan scoring an unbeaten 42 from 26 balls. His knock featured three fours and a six as he provided the much-needed impetus to the struggling Pakistani side, which was reeling at 58/5 and then 60/6, and 74/7. Wasim also provided the final touches with a 22-ball 23-run knock that helped the Men in Green get close to 150.
Sompal Kami was the pick of the bowlers for Nepal. He took 3/30 in his four overs and struck at crucial junctures. Nandan Yadav and Dipendra also took a couple of wickets each.