SATV, Kathmandu, Sept. 3: Nepal 'A' suffered a narrow two-wicket loss to Tasmania in a 50-over practice match at Gardens Oval, Darwin, on Wednesday.
Asked to bat first, the Nepali second-string side were dismissed for 192 runs in 43.3 overs. In response, Tasmania edged past the target, reaching 193–8 with four balls to spare.
Defending 192, Nepal 'A' made early inroads into the Tasmanian top order.
Fast bowler Aakash Chand struck in his opening spell, bowling out Nitesh Samuel for two, before fellow paceman Rijan Dhakal dismissed Tim Ward for 12, reducing the local side to 19–2 in the fifth over.
Opener T Dwyer anchored the chase for Tasmania, top-scoring with a 78-ball 60 that included six boundaries and a six.
Useful contributions from Raf MacMillan (32), Justin Galeotti (24), Will Prestwidge (23), and an unbeaten 23 from Matthew Kuhnemann ultimately carried Tasmania over the line.
Despite a spirited bowling performance, Nepal failed to defend a modest total.
Left-arm spinner Shahab Alam and off-spinner Deepak Prasad Dumre picked up two wickets apiece for Nepal 'A', while Dhakal, Chand, and Pawan Sarraf claimed a wicket each.
Earlier, openers Trit Raj Das and Mayan Yadav gave Nepal 'A' a solid foundation, putting on 55 runs for the first wicket.
Das top-scored with 37 off 63 balls, while Yadav contributed 32.
However, the side failed to capitalise on the opening stand.
Although all top-eight batters reached double figures, including Kushal Malla (29), Sarraf (22 not out), Dumre (18), Kushal Bhurtel (12), Anil Sah (11), and Lokesh Bam (11), none managed to build a substantial score.
The innings faltered further when lower-order batters Alam and Dhakal fell to consecutive deliveries in the 41st over for ducks.Tasmania’s fast bowler Billy Stanlake was the pick of the attack, restricting the scoring with figures of 4–21 from 10 overs, including two maidens.
Prestwidge and MacMillan supported well with two wickets each.Nepal 'A', who are touring Australia following their group-stage exit from the Top End T20 Series where they registered two victories, will play South Australia on Friday before concluding their tour against New Zealand 'A' on Sunday.
