Kathmandu, August 19 – In the 18th game of the Top End T20 tournament held at Cazalys Arena in Palmerston, Nepal scored an impressive total of 180 for seven against Hobart Hurricanes Academy in their 20-over innings. After choosing to bat first following a successful toss, Nepal’s inning experienced moments of momentum as players from different positions contributed effectively.
Kushal Bhurtel started the scoring with an aggressive 27 from 20 balls, hitting four boundaries before being caught by Marcus Bean. Aasif Sheikh then contributed 29 off 28 deliveries, though he was run out by Nivethan Radhakrishnan when the score was 77-2, which disrupted the flow of play. Bhim Sharki scored 18 runs, while team captain Rohit Paudel was bowled for 9 as Nepal’s opening batsmen found it difficult to maintain consistent progress.
Nepal’s star performer was Aarif Sheikh, who scored 33 runs from 26 deliveries. Alongside lower-order batsman Lokesh Bam, who stayed not out with 25 runs from only 11 balls, they helped Nepal surpass the 180-run target.
For Hobart Hurricanes Academy, Radhakrishnan was the pick of the bowlers with 2-20 in his four overs. Raf MacMillan also claimed two wickets for 43 runs, while Marcus Bean, Bradley Hope, and Gabe Bell took one wicket each, providing some breakthroughs at crucial intervals.
The Nepalese men’s senior squad suffered their third consecutive loss in the series during an encounter held in Darwin, Australia, on Monday, when they were beaten by Melbourne Stars Academy by 31 runs after aiming to score 176 runs at TIO Stadium.