Summary and editorial review of the match. In the final game of their Australia tour, Nepal A cricket team was defeated by New Zealand A by 2 wickets. New Zealand chased down the target of 211 runs set by Nepal, reaching it with one ball remaining, having lost 8 wickets. New Zealand’s Rice Mariu played a pivotal role, scoring 137 runs, while Nepal’s Pawan Sarraf top-scored with 61 runs. Kathmandu, 21 Bhadra – On their Australia tour, Nepal A cricket team experienced another loss in the final match against New Zealand A in a one-day game on Sunday, falling short by 2 wickets. Nepal had posted a target of 212 runs, which New Zealand successfully chased with one ball to spare, losing 8 wickets in the process.
Opening batsman Rice Mariu of New Zealand delivered an outstanding century, scoring 137 runs off 134 balls before being dismissed when 6 runs were still needed to win. For Nepal, Rijhan Dhakal, Shahab Alam, and Yuvraj Khatri each claimed 2 wickets, while Bipin Khatri and Pawan Sarraf took 1 wicket apiece. Having won the toss, Nepal chose to bat first but were bowled out in 50 overs for 211 runs. Pawan Sarraf made the highest contribution with 61 runs, followed by Lokesh Bam with 47 runs. Anil Sah scored 24 runs and Mayan Yadav added 20 runs. New Zealand bowler Matt Fisher grabbed 4 wickets for 37 runs in 9 overs. Kristen Clarke and Aditya Ashok took 2 wickets each, while Jack Gibson and Mohammad Abbas took 1 wicket each.
During their tour, the Nepal team had competed in the New Zealand Top A-20 series held in Australia, winning 2 out of 6 matches. They later suffered defeats in one-day practice matches against Tasmania and South Australia.
