ICC U19 World Cup Nepal’s historic U19 triumph, Nepal beat Afghanistan by 1 wicket, qualify for Super Six Stage. Khanal played a pivotal role with a well-made 58 off 89 balls in the chase of 146 against Afghanistan. His dismissal by Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar left Nepal needing 18 runs with only three wickets in hand. Faridoon Dawoodzai dismissed the set batsman Dipak Bohara (27) and Aakash Chand (1) in consecutive overs.
Khanal expressed his thoughts, saying, “I was just praying to God that we have done so much hard work over the last couple of months back home. We have not seen our families in the last two months and everybody is here, doing the hard work.”
However, Subash Bhandari maintained his composure and hitted a boundary, securing Nepal’s victory, as they qualified for the Super Six phase.
“It’s huge. It’s a dream come true for us. You know, we have been preparing for this over the last couple of months. We know we can do it and we believe that. We can play good cricket at this level as well.”
Aakash Chand stood out, as the first Nepal fast bowler to take a five-wicket haul in ICC Men’s U19 World Cup history (5/34). For Chand, it marked the culmination of hard work and support from Nepal fans. He said gratitude, “I’m so grateful for this moment. Everyone was watching in Nepal. My brother, sister, and the whole family. There is nothing bigger than this to take five wickets in a crucial game, winning the match for the team. All the hard work has paid off.”
“I am very happy that wherever we play, as Nepali cricketers, we get so much love and support in every corner of the world. I want to thank all of them. I can see the love of my parents in those supporters. I want to say thank you to all of them.”
ICC U19 World Cup Nepal’s historic U19 triumph
Afghanistan Under-19 vs Nepal Under-19 Highlights:
Afghanistan U19 captain Naseer Khan Maroofkhil won the toss against Nepal in the Under-19 World Cup match at Buffalo Park, East London on Friday. and chose to bat first, Afghanistan’s top order batting collapse as Aakash Chand’s five-wicket haul. Afghanistan faced consistent wicket losses, with Dipesh Kandel contributing with two wickets for Nepal. Allah Ghazanfar emerged as the top-scorer for Afghanistan, amassing 37 runs, while skipper Naseer Khan Maroofkhil contributed 31. Aakash Chand’s five-wicket haul was instrumental in bundling out Afghanistan for 145.
Aakash Chand stood out, as the first Nepal fast bowler to take a five-wicket haul in ICC Men’s U19 World Cup history (5/34).
Dev Khanal played a resilient innings, scoring 58 runs, as Nepal secured a one-wicket victory over Afghanistan. Dev Khanal played a gritty innings of 58 as Nepal secured a one-wicket victory over Afghanistan, propelling them into the Super 6 stage of the competition.
In their previous encounter, Afghanistan displayed a strong fight against New Zealand but narrowly lost the match by just one wicket.
Nepal is gearing up for their Super Six stage clashes against Bangladesh on January 31 and India on February 2, both at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein.
Nepal U19 (Playing XI):
Arjun Kumal, Bipin Rawal(w), Aakash Tripathi, Dev Khanal(c), Gulsan Jha, Deepak Dumre, Dipak Bohara, Dipesh Kandel, Subash Bhandari, Tilak Bhandari, Aakash Chand
Afghanistan U19 (Playing XI):
Hassan Eisakhil, Jamshid Zadran, Khalid Taniwal, Sohail Khan Zurmati, Numan Shah (wk), Ali Ahmad, Arab Gul Momand, Naseer Khan Maroofkhil (c), Allah Ghazanfar, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Khalil Ahmed
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