There were two matches at the TU International Cricket Stadium on Saturday—Karnali Yaks vs Lumbini Lions and Biratnagar Kings vs Kathmandu Gorkhas. There were, of course, two winners—the Yaks and the Kings. But, overall, the day belonged to Mark Watt, the Scottish international who is playing his first Nepal Premier League for Karnali.

Watt is a left-arm spinner and has bagged 110 ODI wickets and 89 T20I wickets for the Scottish national men’s team. He has not done enough with the bat—294 runs in 38 innings (78 matches) in ODIs and 733 runs in 55 innings (82 matches) in T20Is. But on Saturday, he looked like the Yaks’ key batsman.

Watt completed his century, the first ton of the season, in just 41 deliveries, with six fours and 10 sixes. It was the second century of NPL as there was only one ton in the inaugural season, by Pokhara Avengers’ Andries Gous (104 off 55 against Lumbini). It was no doubt a serious show by Watt because he required six deliveries fewer than the T20 World Cup’s fastest-ever century, which was made by Chris Gayle in 47 deliveries against England in 2016.

Watt finished Karnali’s chase of 157 runs with two consecutive sixes in the first two balls of the 13th over to stay not out at 114 off 44. Watt’s spectacular performance was what helped the Yaks register their first win in two matches, that too with 46 balls and nine wickets remaining. The sound off Watt’s bat, whenever he smashed boundaries, was like a song for thousands of Karnali fans, who were dancing to the rhythm.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Watt said after the win, when asked how he felt after smashing a ferocious ton. When asked who he wanted to dedicate the knock, Watt said, “To Karnali!”

He also did not hesitate to thank Karnali for bringing him to the NPL. “And, moreover, I am thankful for being given the opportunity to bat up the order,” said Watt, who has been batting down the order for Scotland. “I was also dropped twice. It seems luck was on my side today.”

Watt also shared that he was nervous in his 90s. “Will’s motivation helped me then,” he added.

After opener Priyank Panchal, who missed his century by 10 runs in Karnali’s first match on Tuesday, departed for 12 off 10 on Saturday, Watt and William Bosisto (29 off 20) put together a 123-run partnership for the second wicket.

Meanwhile, Karnali had a great show with their bowling faculty as well. Rohit Kumar Paudel, the national men’s team skipper leading the Lions, was the only one standing his ground against Karnali’s effective bowling. But when he also got out, as the sixth wicket in the 17th over, falling short of a run for his 50, the Lions were at 113 runs.

JJ Smit (23 off 14) and Ruben Trumplemann (29 off 14) helped the Lions cross the 150-run mark, but it was more than insufficient in front of Watt’s power, which was backed by a strong luck.

“Based on how we started with the bat, 156 on the board was a good comeback,” said Shakti Gauchan, consultant coach of the Lions, in the post-match conference. “But we could not defend it, as we also missed a few catches… Mark Watt batted brilliantly.”

Similarly, when the Post asked Gauchan, one of Nepal’s best-ever spinners, how he felt regarding the NPL platform for youngsters like Karnali’s spinner duo—Bipin Prasad Sharma and Yubraj Khatri—he said, “It is a great platform for the young players to develop. It will help in building up a strong national team.”

Sharma, the 16-year-old who was selected from Karnali’s talent hunt last season was retained by the team following the promise he showed. Khatri, on the other hand, has also been making strides. “Bipin has improved a lot, and Yubraj also has a lot to improve. They both can be great spinners in the upcoming days,” Gauchan said.

Sharma and Khatri bagged one wicket each against Lumbini. Watt, Gulshan Kumar Jha and Sompal Kami also picked one each for Karnali, while Nandan Yadav claimed two.

Marchant: Not a merchant of runs

South African pacer Marchand de Lange had a debut to forget in the Nepal Premier League. In his first match in the Festival of Himalayas, against Pokhara Avengers on Saturday, de Lange proved expensive. He clean bowled Dan Douthwaite to end Pokhara’s batting lineup with one more ball remaining in his four-over spell, but gave away 48 runs. Douthwaite was de Lange’s second victim in the match.

However, on Saturday, de Lange, who has played for the Proteas in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, though in a brief number of matches from 2011 to 2016, was economical and a headache for Kathmandu Gorkhas. In his four overs, de Lange gave only 17 runs and picked two wickets. His performance against the Gorkhas showed why the Kings were so positive about signing him.

Shubham Ranjane, Surya Tamang and Sandeep Lamichhane also bagged one wicket each as the Kings limited the Gorkhas to 134/6 in the first innings.

Kathmandu were at 56/5 in the 13th over when Ben Charlesworth (32 off 33) departed as the fifth wicket. It was thanks to Mohammad Adil Alam, the biggest name in the auction for the second season of NPL who finally proved his worth, that the Gorkhas could post 134 on the board. Alam stayed not out at 48 off 25 (4 fours, 2 sixes), while Santosh Yadav (26 off 24) left him as the sixth wicket after a 45-run partnership.

“We did not have a good start at the power play,” Alam said in the post-match. “I was expecting to take the score to 150+, but it could not be realised. We still have four games left, and we will be looking to win them all.”

With a paltry total to chase, Biratnagar, who had smashed NPL’s first 200+ total against Pokhara on Tuesday, had less pressure.

But it was not as easy as they thought. The top five Biratnagar batters—Lokesh Bam (14 off 10), George Munsey (36 off 16), Martin Guptill (25 off 19), Basir Ahamad (19 off 17) and Naren Bhatta (24 off 30)—could only play decently.

The stadium saw a different environment on Saturday, with the fans flocking in dhaka-topi, creating Mexican waves and flashing mobile lights.

Kathmandu bowlers kept Biratnagar batters in check, but with a paltry target, Biratnagar completed the chase with five wickets and 17 balls remaining.

The Gorkhas have one win, which came against Janakpur Bolts, in three matches now.

On the other hand, Biratnagar won their second match of the season. They defeated Pokhara Avengers on Tuesday.

“We will be looking to win all our upcoming games,” Biratnagar’s pacer Pratish GC said.

There is a break on Sunday. But Monday will witness two fixtures between the neighbours. Biratnagar will face Janakpur in the first match, while Sudurpaschim will play against Karnali.