SATV Mar. 14, Kathmandu: Tribhuwan Army Club crushed Karnali Province by 127 runs to secure their third consecutive victory in the Men’s Prime Minister Cup National Cricket Tournament on Thursday. Lumbini Province and APF Club also claimed their second wins in the competition.
At Extra Tech Oval in Bhairahawa, Army batted first and posted 262 runs, losing nine wickets in 50 overs. In reply, Karnali were bowled out for 135 runs in 37.1 overs. Shahab Alam led Army’s bowling with a three-wicket haul, while Sompal Kami, Aakash Chand, and Kushal Malla took two wickets each.
Prakash Jaishi was the top scorer for Karnali, remaining unbeaten with a half-century of 50 runs off 72 balls, including four sixes and two boundaries. Bipin Rawal (23) and Dinesh Adhikari (22) were the other contributors for Karnali.
Earlier, Army’s opener Trit Raj Das and captain Binod Bhandari both smashed half-centuries. Trit Raj hit 69 runs off 84 balls with 10 boundaries, while Bhandari scored 56 runs off 64 balls, including two sixes and four fours. Bhim Sharki (40) and Basir Ahamad (36) also added valuable runs for Army. Prakash Jaishi and Dinesh Adhikari claimed four and three wickets, respectively, for Karnali.
Army leads the table with six points, while APF, Nepal Police Club, and Lumbini Province have four points each.
Lumbini beats Gandaki
At Siddarthanagar, Lumbini Province defeated Gandaki Province by 14 runs. Lumbini, batting first, managed 217 runs in 49.5 overs. Gandaki fell short, scoring 203 runs in 50 overs with one wicket remaining.
Opener Arjun Kumal top-scored for Gandaki with 62 runs off 86 balls. Subash Bhandari (30), Muskhan Thapa (24), and Amrit Gurung (24 not out) made notable contributions. From three games, Gandaki has two points from one win and two losses.
For Lumbini, Nirmal Gurung took three wickets, finishing with figures of 3-31. Prajjwol Thapa, the player of the match, scored 72 runs off 79 balls to help Lumbini reach a defendable total. Mrinal Gurung (38), Manish Thapa (24), Captain Dev Khanal (33), and Biprason KC (25) also contributed. For Gandaki, Amrit Gurung took three wickets, while Chandra Paudel and Bipin Khatri claimed two each.
APF edge Madhes
At Deukhuri Cricket Stadium in Lamahi, APF Club secured a two-wicket victory over Madhes Province. Madhes batted first and scored 168 runs in 40.4 overs. APF chased the target in 36.5 overs, scoring 170 runs for the loss of eight wickets.
Sumit Maharjan (35), Aasif Sheikh (34), and Kamal Airee (28 not out) played key roles in APF’s victory. Kamal Gupta’s four-wicket haul for Madhes was not enough to stop APF from their second win.
Earlier, Pawan Sarraf scored a run-a-ball 77 for Madhes, while Captain Anil Sah (17), Mayan Yadav (11), Rupesh Singh (10), and Pradip Paswan (10) were the other double-digit contributors. Kamal Airee led APF’s bowling attack with a four-wicket haul, while Bhuvan Karki and National Team Captain Rohit Paudel picked two wickets each.
