Nepal crushed Bahrain by 10 wickets to pull off their second victory in a row in the ICC World T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier at the Selangor Turf Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday.

Nepal bowled out Bahrain for a meagre total of 31 runs in 15.4 overs after the latter won the toss and elected to bat first. Chasing the target, opener Kabita Kunwar and Sita Rana Magar made the light work pairing for an unbroken chase in 17 balls.

Nepal’s chase was also aided by extra 13 runs conceded by Bahrain bowlers. Kunwar contributed 17 runs off 14 deliveries studded with three hits to the fences. Rana Magar scored two runs in three deliveries she faced.

Bahrain captain Deepika Rasangika was the only player to contribute in double digit figures scoring 11 runs off 20 before Indu Barma bowled her out. Bahrain lost five players without opening score.

Nepal’s Barma claimed three wickets in her four-over spell including two maiden overs. The player-of-the-match conceded just five runs. Khusi Dangol accounted for two wickets, keeping a maiden over in her 1.4 overs bowling. Kabita Kunwar, Puja Mahato and Rubina Chhetry pocketed one wicket each.

Nepal registered a five-run victory over hosts Malaysia in the curtain raiser of the tournament at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday. Nepal will meet Bhutan in their third game on Sunday.

Nepal are tied on four points with leaders United Arab Emirates (UAE) from two matches in Group ‘A’ and are separated by net run rates. Bhutan and Bahrain have two points each from as many games while Qatar and Malaysia are yet to open accounts in the six-team group. The top two sides from each group progress into the semi-finals and the finalists will be eligible for the global qualifiers of the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup.

In another match of the group played on Friday, UAE registered a seven-wicket victory over Malaysia inflicting their second defeat. Batting first, Malaysia posted 64-6 in the 16-over game. Chasing the target, UAE opener Esha Oza and Kavisha Egodage both contributed 19 runs each as they made 67-3 in 12.5 overs.

Similarly, Bhutan edged Qatar by eight wickets to open their accounts in the points table after the second game. Sent into bat first, Qatar scored 64-9 despite none of their batters scoring double digit figures in the 20-over game. In the run chase, captain Dechen Wangmo played a patient knock of 52-ball 29 remaining unbeaten and opener Ngawang Choden contributed 19 runs off 46 as they achieved the target in 17.4 overs losing two wickets.