Cricket
Nepal thump Zimbabwe ‘A’ by nine wickets to level series
Pacer duo KC and Kami pick three wickets each while openers Dhamala and Sheikh share a 79-run stand as the Rhinos chase the target of 88 runs in 12th over to pull off a victory.Sports Bureau
Hosts Nepal registered a thumping nine-wicket win over Zimbabwe 'A' in the second One-Day match to level the three-match series 1-1 at the TU ground, Kirtipur, on Saturday.
Pacer duo Karan KC and Sompal Kami grabbed three wickets each for the home team who bowled out Zimbabwe, sent to bat first, for a paltry total of 87 runs in 31.5 overs. Chasing the target, openers Sunil Dhamala and Aasif Sheikh made the light work sharing 79-run stand for the opening wicket as they made 89-1 in 11.2 overs.
In the first match of the series played on Friday, Zimbabwe had edged the home team by three wickets. The third and decisive match of the series is scheduled for Monday at the same venue.
Only three Zimbabwe batters managed to reach double digit figures with lower middle order batter Johnathan Campbell scoring 27 runs, the highest of the innings, as they kept losing wickets in regular intervals. He hit three fences and a maximum before he was run out.
Lower order batter Brad Evans contributed an unbeaten 20 runs while opener Cephas Zhuwao scored 10 runs before his dismissal. Evans, who came to bat at number nine, hit a boundary and a maximum in his knock of 35 balls.
Zhuwao hit 13-ball 10 before being caught by Aasif Sheikh off KC. The right arm medium pacer KC also dismissed another opener Innocent Kaia for a duck in the very first delivery of the innings. Kami then removed the other three top order batters to pile early pressure on Zimbabwe.
He dismissed Tadiwanashe Marumani and captain Tony Munyonga, both caught by wicketkeeper Binod Bhandari for four runs and two runs, respectively. Number four batter Roy Kaia was bowled on four runs as the visitors were tottering at 6-30 at a moment. Clive Madande was bowled out for one run by KC.
Pacer KC, declared the player-of-the-match, gave away 17 runs in his eight-over spell with three maidens. Kami conceded 16 runs in his seven overs bowling. Captain Sandeep Lamichhane picked two wickets in his 8.5 overs spell with a maiden. He gave away 26 runs. Sagar Dhakal pocketed the other wicket.
In the run chase, opener Dhamala played ball-a-run 38. He hit four fences before being caught by Luke Jongwe off Brandon Mavuta in the 11th over. He shared a 79-run stand for the opening wicket with Aasif Sheikh, who played an unbeaten knock of 31-ball 34. Sheikh hit six boundaries. Binod Bhandari contributed four runs from three deliveries remaining unbeaten.
Mavuta was the only player to take a wicket. He gave away 26 runs in his three-over bowling. Victor Nyauchi and Brad Evans, both of whom hurled three overs each, returned wicket-less.
Nepal are playing hosts to Zimbabwe 'A' for a three-match T20 and One-day series to fine tune their preparations for the upcoming Triangular Series of the ICC World Cup League 2 to be held in the USA from June 6 to 16. The T20 series ended in a 1-1 tie.