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Winning the toss and opting to bat, Bangladesh ‘A’ got off to a blazing start with openers Jisan Alam and Mohammad Naim putting on 53 runs in the powerplay. However, Naim fell for 25 off 18 balls in the seventh over, caught off Sandeep Lamichhane’s bowling, breaking the 62-run opening stand.
Jisan, meanwhile, continued his aggressive strokeplay, reaching his fifty in just 34 balls. His 46-ball knock of 73, laced with 4 fours and 5 sixes, provided the backbone of Bangladesh’s innings. However, the middle order struggled to maintain the momentum. Saif Hasan (11 off 11), Nurul Hasan (5 off 11), Mahidul Islam (7 off 7), and debutant Tofaiel (5 off 4) failed to capitalize on the start. Afif Hossain’s unbeaten 48 off 23 balls, including 9 fours, propelled Bangladesh ‘A’ to a competitive 186/6 in 20 overs.
In response, Nepal’s batting faltered early. Hasan Mahmud struck in the second over, dismissing Kushal Bhurtel, while Rakibul Hasan removed Lokesh Bam (15 off 10) within the powerplay. Nepal managed 49 runs in the first six overs but struggled thereafter. Rakibul raised hopes of a hat-trick in the 10th over, trapping Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulshan Jha lbw in consecutive deliveries. Though the hat-trick eluded him, Rakibul finished with impressive figures of 3/18 in 4 overs. Kushal Malla’s unbeaten 59 off 47 balls reduced the margin of defeat, but Nepal ended at 154/7, falling 32 runs short.
Bangladesh ‘A’ will face Perth Scorchers Academy in their next match tomorrow at 3:30 PM Bangladesh time.
**Brief Scores:**
*Bangladesh ‘A’: 186/6 in 20 overs (Jisan 73, Afif 48*, Naim 25; Dhakal 2/34, Lamichhane 1/21)*
*Nepal: 154/7 in 20 overs (Malla 59*, Asif 28; Rakibul 3/18, Hasan Mahmud 2/36)*
*Result: Bangladesh ‘A’ won by 32 runs.*
