Nepal kicked off the ICC T-20 Qualifier with 28 runs victory over Hong Kong

Chandra Sawad made memorable debut to the senior team as Nepal kicked off the ICC T-20 Qualifier with 28 runs victory over Hong Kong on Tuesday. The right-arm medium pacer claimed four wickets as defending a total of 130 runs Nepal restricted Hong Kong to 102 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the allocated 20 overs. The 22-year-old was given the new ball and he proved his worth after getting rid of opener Irfan Ahmed (4 runs) in his first over at the ICC GCA, Oval 2, Dubai Sports City, UAE. His lethal bowling put Nepal playing their first match from group A on the driving seat throughout the match. He ended with figures of 4-0-23-4 which ripped the middle order apart. Seasoned spinners Shakti Gauchan shared two wickets. The good start from Sawad had Hong Kong on the back foot from early on. This performance fetched Sawad praise from his captain Paras Khadka who said, “The boys put up a really good show on the field. Chandra Sawad, playing his first match for the team, was absolutely fantastic with the new ball.” Nizakat Khan who had earlier taken a wicket was the only batsman to show some resistance. He had remained glued at his crease stroking 32 runs off 27 balls including three boundaries before Gauchan had him caught off Regmi in the 13th over to reduce Hong Kong 64/7. Earlier, Khadka made is first half century in the T-20 as he scored 68 runs to steady his team’s innings. He is the second batsman to score a half century in the shortest version of the game after Mahaboob Alam. Electing to bat, Nepal’s picture was not rosy when man-of-the-match, Khadka came to the crease at 12/2. His 62-balls 68 runs included seven fours and he featured in two partnerships to put Nepal back on track. He stitched a 56-run fourth wicket partnerships with Gyanendra Malla (26) and 34 runs stand with Alam (13) as Nepal put on 130 runs for the loss of six wickets on the board. Khadka said, “To lead from the front is very important to me, but we still have six more very important matches still to go and there is plenty of competition around. This is a very good start for us and hopefully we can carry forward the momentum and move ahead.” Nepal face Denmark on Wednesday.