Nepal U16 secured their second consecutive victory in the ACC Men’s U-16 East Zone Cup by defeating Japan by 9 wickets in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. This win puts Nepal at the top of Group A with 4 points from 2 matches. After winning the toss, Japan chose to bat first at the Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar Oval but were restricted to just 80 runs in 34.3 overs, thanks largely to left-arm spinner Shubham Khanal impressive 5-wicket haul, conceding only 15 runs in his 10 overs. Captain Charlie Hara-Hinze was the top scorer for Japan with 36 runs, followed by Gabriel Hara-Hinze 13 runs, while the rest of the batsmen failed to reach double figures. Abhay Yadav took 2 wickets, and Sushil Rawal and Bipin Prasad Sharma took 1 wicket each.
In reply, Nepal chased down the target comfortably in 14.2 overs with the loss of just one wicket. Opener Joe Thapa was dismissed early for 1 run, but Shiwansh Bajgai and Prasiddha Jaishi put together an unbeaten partnership of 76 runs to guide Nepal to victory. Shiwansh scored 38 runs off 42 balls with 7 fours, while Prasiddha remained not out on 33 runs off 33 balls, including 3 fours.
Nepal had won their opening match against Singapore by 5 wickets and now leads Group A with 4 points. Japan, having lost one and won one game, holds second place with 2 points. Nepal will next face Indonesia on June 29. The ACC Men’s U-16 East Zone Cup features 10 teams, with Nepal grouped alongside Japan, Bhutan, Singapore, and Indonesia.
