Nepal lost their first practice match against the U-23 Sinhalese Sports Club of Sri Lanka by three wickets in Colombo on Tuesday.

In the match played at Sinhalese Sports Club Stadium, Sinhalese overcame the 241-run target in the last ball of the 42nd over. The match was reduced to 42 overs each due to overnight rain and wet outfield condition. The match was played as part of Nepal’s preparations for the ACC U-19 Asia Cup cricket tournament scheduled for September 5-14.

Batting first, Asif Sheikh top scored with 88 runs as Nepal posted 240-7 in 42 overs. Sheikh, recalled into the national team for the tournament after missing out on Eastern Region Qualifiers, clobbered five sixes and five boundaries in his 76-ball knock. Sandeep Jora hit 33 and Rit Gautam contributed 31 runs for the touring side. Pawan Sharraf was another notable contributor with 30 runs. Sandaruwan Chinthaka, Asel Kalutunga and Rasanjana Silva claimed two wickets each.

In reply, Krishan Sanjula (62) and Avishka Senadera (52) made half-centuries as Sinhalese completed the run chase for the loss of seven wickets in the last over of their innings. Sharraf took three wickets for Nepal. Kamal Singh Airee, Surya Tamang and Sagar Dhakal also had one scalps each. Nepal will play their second practice match against Baduralia Cricket Club at Surrey Ground.

Nepal qualified for the ACC U-19 Asia Cup after winning the ACC U-19 Eastern cricket tournament in Kuala Lumpur in July. Nepal had reached the semi-final of the tournament in 2017, which is also their best run in the tournament. It was the same year, Nepal defeated India for the first time to register their only victory so far against the cricketing giants.