KATHMANDU: Nepal suffered a narrow defeat in their first practice T20 match of the Australia tour, losing to South Australia (SA) off the final delivery on Thursday.
Defending a target of 147, Nepal pushed the contest to the wire before SA’s T. Brown struck a boundary on the last ball to seal the win. SA finished on 147/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
Opener Nick Winter top-scored with 36 runs, while captain Mackenzie Harvey added 27. For Nepal, pacer Sompal Kami impressed with three wickets, while Nandan Yadav claimed two. Skipper Rohit Paudel chipped in with one wicket.
Earlier, Nepal, sent in to bat after losing the toss, managed 146/9 in their 20 overs. Bhim Sharki top-scored with 32, supported by Dipendra Singh Airee (27) and opener Aasif Sheikh (22).
South Australia’s bowling attack was led by Campbell Thomson and Harry Manenti, who both took two wickets each. Jess MacFadyen, Darcie Brown and Tom Menzies grabbed one apiece.
The defeat came after Nepal had beaten Australian Capital Territory in back-to-back practice games earlier this week. The matches follow Nepal’s participation in the Top End T20 Series, where they finished eighth among 11 teams.
The Australia tour is being viewed as a crucial preparation platform for Nepal ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup Qualifiers.
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