KATHMANDU, The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final Asia saw a gripping start today in Kathmandu, Nepal, as teams from Nepal, the UAE, Hong Kong, China, and Oman began their campaigns with triumphant victories against their respective opponents.
According to ICC, Nepal’s dynamic opener, Kushal Bhurtel, with a fiery 74 off 48 deliveries, and the UAE’s Ali Naseer’s quickfire 48 off 26 deliveries coupled with his bowling figures of 1-20 were instrumental in sealing victories for their teams against Singapore and Bahrain, respectively. In the later fixtures, both Zeeshan Maqsood of Oman and Martin Coetzee of Hong Kong, China put up stellar performances, resulting in their respective teams’ victories over Malaysia and Kuwait.
In the Nepal vs Singapore match, despite an early setback, Singapore posted 145/9 in their quota of 20 overs, thanks to a brilliant knock of 46 by Rohan Rangarajan. Nepal chased the target with ease, finishing at 147/2 in just 16.3 overs, largely due to Bhurtel’s match-winning innings.
The UAE, after electing to bowl first against Bahrain, restricted their opponents to 135/6. Despite some early wobbles in their chase, Ali Naseer’s crucial innings helped the UAE finish at 137/5 in 18.2 overs.
Oman, batting first, set a competitive target of 153/6 against Malaysia, with Zeeshan Maqsood contributing a crucial 56*.