Nepal’s dream of qualifying for the Women’s Asia Cup ended in disappointment with a four-wicket semi-final defeat against Malaysia in the ACC Women’s Premier Cup Cricket tournament.
Malaysia successfully chased Nepal’s target of 116 runs with one ball remaining, losing six wickets. Elsa Hunter led the way for Malaysia with an unbeaten 69 runs. Sita Rana Magar and Kabita Joshi each took two wickets for Nepal, with Rubina Chhetri and Kabita Kunwar taking one wicket.
Earlier, Nepal chose to bat first and posted 115 runs in 20 overs, losing six wickets. Indu Barma (29 runs) and Dali Bhatta (25 runs) were the top scorers for Nepal. Malaysia’s Mahirah Izzati Ismail claimed two wickets and Winifred Duraisingam took one.
In the other semi-final, the UAE secured a narrow four-run victory over Thailand. Malaysia and the UAE will now advance to compete in the Asia Cup.
