Nepal U-19 side lost their opening match of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup against Sri Lanka by five wickets in Colombo on Friday.

The hosts completed the 160-run target in the 34th over for the loss of five wickets at the R Premadasa Stadium. The defeat means Nepal are still chasing for their victory against Sri Lanka at the U-19 level having lost on four other occasions in the past. Batting first after winning the toss, Nepal’s total was built mainly around a half-century by Rit Gautam and another 47 by skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel. Nepal lost opener Pawan Sarraf when he was caught behind in the fifth over for four before Asif Sheikh was bowled out to leave Nepal at 24-2 in the seventh over.

Gautam put on a 91-run partnership with Paudel before the former was caught out on 54 in the 30th over. After Poudel’s wicket fell in the 35th over, it sparked a flurry of wickets as Nepal lost their last six wickets adding just 24 runs. Rashid Khan (15) and Hari Chauhan (12) were the only other two batsmen to reach double figures. Dilshan Madushanka and Navod Paranavithana took three wickets each for the hosts.

Chasing a modest total, Kamil Mishara (55) struck a half-century to lay the foundation for Sri Lankan victory. Nepal put Sri Lanka under some pressure taking their two wickets for 53 runs but opener Mishara’s composed inning and another 30 late on by Ahan Wickramasinghe meant Sri Lanka chased the total with relative ease. Rashid Khan took two wickets for Nepal. Sarraf, Kamal Singh Airee and Sagar Dhakal had one each to their names. The match was reduced to 42 overs due to rain interruptions.

Nepal coach Binod Das said his team threw the match late on having built a good foundation by Gautam and Poudel.

“The rain breaks didn’t allow us to build any rhythm. We were 30-40 runs short at the end,” said Das. Das added Sandeep Jora’s illness at the last minute also hampered the team’s composition. Despite the loss, Das said they would take a lot of positivity from the game and look forward to their next match.

Nepal will now take on Bangladesh on September 8 and the United Arab Emirates on September 10. The semi-finals will be held on September 12 while the final is slated for September 14.

Nepal qualified for the tournament after winning the ACC U-19 Eastern Region cricket tournament defeating Hong Kong in Malaysia in July, where only the winners were guaranteed a place in the ACC U-19 Asia Cup cricket tournament. Cup against Sri Lanka by five wickets in Colombo on Friday.

The hosts completed the 160-run target in the 34th over for the loss of five wickets at the R Premadasa Stadium. The defeat means Nepal are still chasing for their victory against Sri Lanka at the U-19 level having lost on four other occasions in the past. Batting first after winning the toss, Nepal’s total was built mainly around a half-century by Rit Gautam and another 47 by skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel. Nepal lost opener Pawan Sarraf when he was caught behind in the fifth over for four before Asif Sheikh was bowled out to leave Nepal at 24-2 in the seventh over.

Gautam put on a 91-run partnership with Paudel before the former was caught out on 54 in the 30th over. After Poudel’s wicket fell in the 35th over, it sparked a flurry of wickets as Nepal lost their last six wickets adding just 24 runs. Rashid Khan (15) and Hari Chauhan (12) were the only other two batsmen to reach double figures. Dilshan Madushanka and Navod Paranavithana took three wickets each for the hosts.

Chasing a modest total, Kamil Mishara (55) struck a half-century to lay the foundation for Sri Lankan victory. Nepal put Sri Lanka under some pressure taking their two wickets for 53 runs but opener Mishara’s composed inning and another 30 late on by Ahan Wickramasinghe meant Sri Lanka chased the total with relative ease. Rashid Khan took two wickets for Nepal. Sarraf, Kamal Singh Airee and Sagar Dhakal had one each to their names. The match was reduced to 42 overs due to rain interruptions.

Nepal coach Binod Das said his team threw the match late on having built a good foundation by Gautam and Poudel.

“The rain breaks didn’t allow us to build any rhythm. We were 30-40 runs short at the end,” said Das. Das added Sandeep Jora’s illness at the last minute also hampered the team’s composition. Despite the loss, Das said they would take a lot of positivity from the game and look forward to their next match.

Nepal will now take on Bangladesh on September 8 and the United Arab Emirates on September 10. The semi-finals will be held on September 12 while the final is slated for September 14.

Nepal qualified for the tournament after winning the ACC U-19 Eastern Region cricket tournament defeating Hong Kong in Malaysia in July, where only the winners were guaranteed a place in the ACC U-19 Asia Cup cricket tournament.