KATHMANDU: Nepal secured a dominant second consecutive win in the ongoing ACC Men’s U-16 East Zone Cup 2025 in Malaysia.
In their second match played Tuesday morning, Nepal defeated Japan by a comfortable margin of 9 wickets. Chasing a modest target of 81 runs set by Japan, Nepal reached the total in just 14.2 overs, losing only one wicket.
Though they lost an early wicket, Nepal’s chase was anchored by Prasiddha Jaisi, who remained unbeaten on 28 off 34 balls with two boundaries.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Shiwansh Bajgain also contributed an unbeaten 22 runs from 33 balls, including four boundaries.
Opening batsman Joy Thapa was dismissed early after scoring just one run from seven balls. Nepal benefited from 7 extra runs as well.
Earlier, Japan won the toss and chose to bat but were all out for 80 runs in 34.3 overs. From the start, the Japanese batters struggled under pressure from Nepal’s bowlers. The top three Japanese batsmen failed to reach double digits.
Charlie Harahinge, who came in at number four and also captains the side, top-scored with 36 runs off 48 balls, hitting four boundaries.
Gaby Harahinge contributed 13 runs, but the rest of the batting order crumbled, with Japan losing five crucial wickets before even reaching 50 runs. Three batters were dismissed without scoring.
Nepal’s emerging spinner Shubham Khanal was the standout performer, claiming five wickets for just 15 runs in his 10-over spell, including three maidens.
Only 14 years old, this marked his best performance to date. Abhay Yadav took two wickets for 25 runs in 6 overs, while Sushil Bahadur Rawal and Bipin Prasad Sharma picked up one wicket each. Japan managed just 6 extra runs.
Earlier in the tournament, Nepal had convincingly defeated Singapore by 6 wickets, with both batters and bowlers excelling.
Japan, too, had won its first match, thrashing Bhutan by a massive margin of 215 runs.With two wins from two games, Nepal now tops Group A with 4 points, while Japan drops to second with 2 points.
Singapore and Bhutan, with one match each, remain pointless. Indonesia, the fifth team in the group, has yet to play a match.
Nepal will play its third group match against Indonesia on June 29, followed by its final group-stage match against Bhutan on July 1.
