Lumbini All Stars on Tuesday registered their third consecutive victory in the Nepal T20 League as they defeated Pokhara Avengers by three wickets in a match that went down to the very last delivery.

Chasing 134, Lumbini needed eight runs off the final over to win and maintain their perfect record at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Kathmandu.

Tailender Shadley van Schalkwyk, who had raised the hopes for Lumbini with two consecutive sixes in the penultimate over, then cut the chase down to five off the last ball and blasted an eye-opening six off Pratis GC for a nail-biting victory.

Player of the match Van Schalkwyk cracked four sixes in his unconquered 11-ball 31.

Earlier, the 34-year-old South African also starred with the ball taking 3-27 that also included the prized scalp of Pokhara dangerman Kushal Malla, who smashed a speedy half-century in the midst of a batting collapse that saw eight batters leave the crease without even touching double-digit figures.

Sent in to bat first, Pokhara reached 133-9, thanks to a 96-run stand between Malla and Sri Lankan batsman Upul Tharanga, for the third wicket.

Tharanga, who hit 42 runs off 51 balls, was caught behind off Kishore Mahato (2-20).

Malla cracked five fours and five sixes in his crucial knock of 61 before Van Schalkwyk had him caught by Unmukt Chand in the ninth over.

Gulsan Jha also picked up two wickets for Lumbini.

Lumbini’s run chase took an early hit after Pokhara’s Indian pacer Abhimanyu Mithun surprised Sri Lankan Lahiru Milantha—who had hit 60 and 80 not out in the first two matches—off the third delivery of the second over.

But Indian batsman and opener Chand (22) shared a 57-run partnership with Kushal Bhurel, who made 39, to steady the run chase.

Bipin Khatri then trapped Bhurtel lbw to break their stand and it seemed Lumbini’s winning streak would come to an end after Khatri removed Harmeet Singh for a duck. Before Malla had dismissed captain Dipendra Singh Airee for two and had Chand caught by Mithun to put Lumbini in trouble at 75-5.

Jha departed cheaply for 10 and Anil Sah contributed 19 to drag Lumbini to 127-7 with Van Schalkwyk and Kishore Mahato at the crease.

Schalkwyk then led the charge when it mattered the most to guide Lumbini to a pulsating victory.

The match result propelled Lumbini to the top of the table with six points. Pokhara are winless after their third straight defeat.

Airee’s Lumbini now remain the only unbeaten team in the league after Kathmandu Royals put a break on Janakpur’s winning streak with a 53-run win later in the day.

English batsman Alex Blake top scored for Kathmandu, hitting 83 off 43 balls, that included four boundaries and seven sixes. He put on a 62-run stand with Malaysian Virandeep Singh, who scored 49, to give Kathmandu, who had elected to bat first, a solid start to their innings.

When Singh returned back to the pavilion, Kathmandu were already eying a big total with 103-2, on board.

A middle order collapse saw Zimbabwean Ryal Burl (2), captain Gyanendra Malla (1) and Sunam Gautam (9) depart cheaply.

But the player of the match, Blake, kept the game alive.

Lower order batter Azmatullah Omarzai—who had scored 85 not out against Pokhara Avengers in their opening win—then added 43, slapping Janakpur bowlers with quickfire sixes and fours in his aggressive 15-ball knock to guide Kathmandu to 208-6.

In reply, Janakpur lost wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 155, with Omarzai returning figures of 3-25.

Samiullah Shinwari, playing for Janakpur for the first time, came up with the highest score of 29. Sundeep Jora scored 26 and Pawan Saffar 24.

Kathmandu captain Trevon Griffith failed to make an impression yet again, getting out for three runs.

Basir Ahamad took two wickets for Kathmandu.