Nepal record first victory

The Nepalese Under 19 side completed an impressive sixty-run victory over their Irish counterparts to set up a World Cup Plate Quarter Final match against Uganda.

Sharad Vesawkar, whose dismissal for 38 precipitated a late-order collapse to waste a promising position against Zimbabwe, held his nerve today to compile an assured 82 not out. Alongside more explosive forties from Paras Khadka and captain Kanishka Chaugai, Nepal accumulated 234 from their fifty overs. Irish fast bowler Niall McDarby added three lower-order scalps to his six victims against England, and is now the joint highest wicket taker in the tournament.

The Ireland reply centred around 86 from Middlesex batsman Eoin Morgan, the Irish skipper’s first major contribution of the tournament. However, as Andrew Poynter was the only other batsman to pass fifteen, the responsibility on Morgan to carry his side alone became too much. Supersub Shashi Kesari enticed him down the pitch one time too often, and Mahesh Chhetri completed a stumping that triggered a collapse.

Ireland fell away from 145 for three to 174 all out, well shy of the Nepalese total, and will now play the losers of Pakistan against New Zealand in the Quarter Finals of the Plate Competition. Nepal, meanwhile, have an excellent chance to continue their impressive efforts in this tournament as they take on Uganda.

Nepal 234/8
Sharad Vesawkar 82*, Paras Khadka 47
Niall McDarby 3/43, Gary Kidd 2/32

Ireland 174
Eoin Morgan 86, Andrew Poynter 28
Shashi Kesari 2/26, Ratan Rauniyar 2/41

Uganda will go into the Plate competition on the back of a crushing defeat at the hands of the impressive Bangladeshis, who coasted to a 171-run win on the back of a second consecutive captain’s innings from Mushfiqur Rahim. Despite and unconvincing start as they slipped to 88 for 4, the Tigers were able to amass 255 through Rahim’s 64 and a belligerent 37 from tournament debutant Ishraq Sonnet. Ronald Semanda took four wickets for Uganda, but their reply fell far short of respectability. Opener Arthur Kyobe made a painstaking two-and-a-half-hour 31, but nobody else passed six, and 32 extras were the major contributors to the eventual 84 all out. The losers of England’s clash with Zimbabwe will be Bangladesh’s next opponents.

Namibia were also convincing winners, as Dawid Botha struck 55 not out to anchor a successful seven-wicket chase against a disappointing Scottish side. Captain Kasiam Farid top-scored for the losers with 46, but Nicolaas Scholtz’s left-arm spin skittled the Scots’ tail to 156 all out, a target that the African nation never seemed in any danger of failing to reach. Scotland now await the losers of tomorrow’s West Indies-South Africa match in the Plate.

The United States, who will be Namibia’s Plate opponents, put up a surprisingly strong performance against an Australian team that eventually qualified for the last eight with three consecutive wins. Moises Henriques joined Niall McDarby on nine tournament wickets with three victims, whilst Jon Holland took four for 39 with his left-arm spin, despite bowling nine wides in his ten-over spell. The Australian chase stumbled to 53 for 4 before William Sheridan (37) and Aaron Finch (31) added 69 for the fifth wicket to place ther result beyond any doubt. Australia will meet the loser of India against Sri Lanka in the Quarter Finals.

Bangladesh 255 (Mushfiqur Rahim 64, R Semanda 4/43)
Uganda 84 (AS Kyobe 31, Ishraq Sonet 3/26)

Scotland 156 (K Farid 46, NRP Scholtz 4/25)
Namibia 160/3 (DH Botha 55*, MM Iqbal 1/14)

USA 148 (AL Dodson 27, JM Holland 4/39)
Australia 149/6 (W Sheridan 37, A Rajp 2/32)