Nepal loses to NT Strike by 42 runs in T20 series

Nepal lost their first match in the Top End T20 series in Australia’s Northern Territory. They were defeated by Northern Territory (NT) Strike by 42 runs.

Chasing NT’s target of 178 runs, Nepal managed only 135 runs in 20 overs, losing 8 wickets.

For Nepal, Kushal Malla scored the highest with 34 runs, followed by Gulshan Jha with 26 and captain Rohit Paudel with 23 runs.

For NT, Matt Hammond took 3 wickets, while Tom Andrews and Kane Richardson took 2 each, and Hamish Martin took 1 wicket.

Earlier, after losing the toss, NT batted first and scored 177 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs. NT captain and opener Darcy Short scored the highest with 51 runs, while Tom Andrews remained unbeaten on 32 runs.

For Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane gave 38 runs in 4 overs and took 3 wickets. Shahab Alam gave 32 runs and took 2 wickets, while Rupesh Singh, Dipendra Singh Airee, and captain Rohit Paudel took 1 wicket each.

NT Strike had won the first edition of this series in 2023 and reached the semifinals last year.

The tournament will continue in Darwin and Palmerston until August 24, with 11 teams, including Nepal, playing 36 league matches.

Nepal will play against Bangladesh ‘A’ tomorrow.