Nepal qualified to the World T20 Qualifiers

Kathmandu,April 3 – Nepal were handed down a seven wicket defeat by Afghanistan in the final match of the ACC T20 Cup held at Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, Wednesday.

Afghanistan met the target of 136 runs set by Nepal in 17.5 overs. Gulbadin Naib scored highest 43 runs while Mohammad Nabi scored 38 runs and Karim Sadiq 32 runs for the winning side. Shakti Gauchan and Paras Khadka took one wicket each for Nepal.

Afghanistan chose to field first after winning the toss. Nepali captain Parash Khadka made half century while Binod Bhandary scored 32 runs and Sarad Vesawkar 20 runs in their first inning. Gulbadin Naib took two wickets for Afghanistan.

Nepal had advanced to the final after defeating the UAE by six wickets while Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by seven wickets in the semifinal match held at the same venue on Tuesday.

Nepal, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and the UAE have already qualified to the World T20 Qualifiers going to be held in November in the UAE.