Nepal maintained their perfect record in the ACC Men’s U-16 East Zone Cup 2025 with a commanding 298-run victory over Bhutan in their final group-stage match at the Selangor Turf Club in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Nepal piled up a formidable 358-5 in 50 overs, thanks to a scintillating century from Raunak Srivastav. The right-hander struck 168 off 132 balls, peppering the boundary with 16 fours and five sixes.

He was ably supported by Joy Thapa, who remained unbeaten on 61, while Shivansh Bajgain chipped in with 54 and Sugam Budhathoki added 35. Bhutan’s Sanjay Dorji claimed 3 wickets, with Tenzin Loday picking up one.

In reply, Bhutan never found their footing, limping to 60-9 in 32.4 overs. Their final batter did not appear at the crease. Sujan Dawa top-scored with 14, while Ugyog Chhophel added 10.

Nepal’s captain, Bipin Prasad Sharma, led the bowling attack with a miserly spell, claiming 4 wickets for just 7 runs in 10 overs. Sachin Bhatt and Suyog Bhattarai took two wickets apiece to wrap up the Bhutanese innings.

With this fourth consecutive win, Nepal top Group A and advance to the semi-finals, where they will face Malaysia on Thursday. Singapore join them from Group A, while Hong Kong and hosts Malaysia qualify from Group B.

Nepal, the defending champions, had lifted the title in 2023 by defeating Malaysia in the final. The 2025 edition features 10 nations, with Group A comprising Nepal, Singapore, Indonesia, Bhutan and Japan; and Group B including Malaysia, Hong Kong, Maldives, Thailand and Myanmar.