Cricket Kitchen

Malaysia sets 91-run target for Nepal in U-16 East Zone Cup semifinal

July 3, 2025

 

Kathmandu – In the semifinal match of the ACC Men’s Under-16 East Zone Cup, host nation Malaysia has set a modest target of 91 runs for Nepal to chase.

The match, held at the Selangor Turf Club in Kuala Lumpur, saw Malaysia batting first after losing the toss. The team was bowled out for just 90 runs in 43.1 overs. Apart from Mohammad Fatul, who scored 38 runs, no other Malaysian batsman managed to make a significant contribution. Diaz Porto added 10 runs, and no other player reached double digits. Malaysia also received 13 extra runs.

Nepal’s bowlers were in top form, especially Abhay Yadav, who took 4 wickets for just 15 runs in his 10 overs. Subham Khanal also impressed with a tight spell, claiming 3 wickets in 10 overs, including 4 maiden overs, while giving away only 12 runs. Captain Bipin Sharma and Sachin Bhatt took one wicket each.

Defending champions Nepal remain unbeaten in the tournament. Under the captaincy of Bipin Sharma, Nepal entered the semifinals as the winner of Group A, winning all four group stage matches. They defeated Singapore by 6 wickets, Japan by 9 wickets, Indonesia by a massive 370 runs, and Bhutan by 298 runs.

Malaysia qualified for the semifinals as the runner-up from Group B, with three wins and one loss. In the previous edition, Nepal had also faced Malaysia in the final and won the championship with a dominant 221-run victory.

In individual performances, Nepal’s Raunak Srivastava and Prasiddha Jaisi are among the tournament’s top scorers, with Raunak leading with 296 runs and Prasiddha following with 227. On the bowling side, Nepal is also leading — captain Bipin Sharma tops the wicket-taking chart with 16 wickets.