Spirited Nepal trip up Afghanistan
Nepal 141 for 5 (Khakurel 56, Vesawkar 37) beat Afghanistan 132 for 8 (Stanikzai 49, Mukhiya 3-18) by nine runs
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Nepal have long had an army of fans back home but at this World T20 they have been on a recruitment drive. In their maiden global tournament, they have played with skill and passion, confirming their status as one of the most exciting teams in world cricket's second tier. Even when you consider Ireland's potential progress from Group B, Nepal's performance has been one of the most powerful endorsements of the ICC's decision to expand the competition.
They set another marker at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, beating Afghanistan for the first time in T20s. A 50-over win in the ACC Trophy ten years ago had been their only previous success against a side that has been one of the strongest Associates over the last five years. Afghanistan had come into the tournament hoping to upset a top-level side or two but they will depart knowing that the competition around them has increased.
As ever, inspiration came from Paras Khadka, Nepal's captain. Despite a failure with the bat, he claimed two towering catches, the second diving flat out to remove the dangerous Samiullah Shenwari in the penultimate over, with 27 required. Asghar Stanikzai kept the game alive by hitting fours from the first, second and fourth ball of the final over but, with 10 still needed, he holed out to long-on and Nepal could breathe.
The close nature of the game also means Bangladesh are all but assured of a place in round two; not only would they have to lose to bottom-placed Hong Kong, their run rate would need to drop by a huge 1.753 in order for Nepal to leap over them.
Afghanistan were in trouble by the fifth over, when Jitendra Mukhiya took wickets with consecutive balls to leave them 20 for 3 in pursuit of another Nepal total that was useful rather than intimidating. Karim Sadiq had already been bowled by Sompal Kami and, after Mohammad Shahzad had been caught slogging at third man, the other frontline batsman, Najibullah Zadran, chipped Mukhiya's next ball at chest height to mid-on.
Shafiqullah, who finished the match against Hong Kong in barbarous fashion on Tuesday, took three consecutive fours off Basant Regmi but the spinner had his revenge in the 15th over, leaving Afghanistan 83 for 6.
Nepal's other left-arm tweaker, Shakti Gauchan, claimed two wickets in an over for the second time in the tournament. First, Nawroz Mangal's huge top edge flew into a space between short fine-leg and deep backward square. Khadka sprinted from the ring towards the boundary to take a fine catch over his shoulder. Gauchan's gloriously uninhibited celebration was on display again moments later as he claimed Mohammad Nabi lbw, although the decision looked a little hard on the batsman.
Nepal batted first in all of their three matches and each innings has been delicately crafted with a few obvious flaws. Their batsmen are neat and tidy but lack the power to regularly clear the boundary - or maybe they are just used to the ball flying further in the thin mountain air.
Subash Khakurel, who made the first half-century by a Nepal player at the tournament, absorbed 23 dot balls during his innings but managed to increase the tempo after trading in nudges and dabs early on. His half-century came up off 48 balls with a slice through backward point and included one resourceful scoop for six but he fell trying to go aerial in the penultimate over, bowled by Shapoor Zadran.
That ended a stand worth 76 with Sharad Vesawkar, who struck some meaty bottom-handed strokes, the best of which was a flat crump down the ground that gave long-off no chance. Shapoor then had Vesawkar caught behind top-edging a pull and Nepal again became bogged down at the end. The final two overs of each of their three games have totaled 43 for 8.
Khakurel and Sagar Pun have shown themselves to be nimble runners without quite being able to force enough shots through the infield and once again the batteries on their opening partnership didn't last the Powerplay. Khakurel had survived chipping the ball between mid-off and extra cover, when Nabi inexplicably failed to dive for the chance, but Afghanistan's captain didn't have to exert himself in the following over, when Pun picked him out with an airy drive.
Khakurel crunched consecutive fours off Shapoor Zadran, the second a precise punch straight down the ground, and Gyanendra Malla briefly threatened to play the sort of explosive innings that can decide a game. His first ball was a rapier cover-drive for four and, with Afghanistan stacking the off-side field, he then went over Nabi's head, clearing the fingertips and beating long-off running to his left. A cross-batted pull over mid-on was followed by a delicious ping beyond the rope to the same part of the ground.
Malla's urgency got the better of him when he top-edged a switch hit to short third man. In Nepal's first two games, Khadka had shown poise and good technique to repair early damage but on this occasion, he played an uncharacteristically loose shot, trying to whip an off-stump delivery through midwicket. Mirwais Ashraf, who looks like a pro wrestler, showed some subtle variations to pick up 1 for 14 and he punched the air exuberantly at removing Nepal's talisman - though he was later outdone by Mukhiya's piston fist pump at getting two in two.
As Stanikzai drove Afghanistan close, laying into Kami's final over, a tightly packed corner of the stadium held themselves in suspense. Then came the cheers.
Paras Khadka's Kapil Dev moment
The catch
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Paras Khadka is nothing short of being Nepal's Kapil Dev. He has regularly done a brilliant job with bat and ball, and soon got the chance to take a defining catch for his country, much like Kapil's in the 1983 World Cup final. In the ninth over of the Afghanistan innings, Mangal top-edged a sweep off Shakti Gauchan and the ball spiraled high in the air. Khadka ran hard and back from short fine-leg, called loud enough to shoo away the square-leg fielder and then with his eyes firmly on the swirling ball, he dived flat out. Kapil didn't quite get the dive out because that was not what you did in 1983, but this needed the dive and Khadka went for it to great effect.
The catch II
As another skier went up near mid-on, the bowler Jitendra Mukhiya ran in that direction but when he saw the captain blasting in from mid-off, he just smiled. Khadka dove full length and took another stunning catch.
Nepal win hearts but they search for cash
Nepal have won hearts and minds and a legion of new fans at the World T20. But that alone won't help them in trying to become more competitive on a consistent basis. The need for better infrastructure, in particular more pitches, is one that can only be solved through increased financial support and, despite impressive displays during the qualifying round, the immediate boost to the Cricket Association of Nepal's bank balance will be negligible.
Nepal could still reach the second round but they require Bangladesh to take a swan dive from their perch on top of Group A. While a victory in the Super 10 stage would be worth US$40,000, there is no prize money on offer before then. Qualifying for the World T20 would have improved Nepal's "scorecard" - the means by which their ICC funding is determined - as well as providing them with valuable exposure but it has not presented CAN with a pot of gold.
Like Afghanistan, their final opponents who have been given support by the PCB, Nepal require as much assistance as they can get. Sharad Vesawkar, one of a core of talented home-grown players, said the team were basically "amateurs" and, despite their popularity back home, there are significant challenges in trying to spread the game to more inaccessible parts of the country. But it does make the sense of achievement all the more powerful.
"We're all born and brought up in Nepal and know each other very well, having played together from age-group cricket," Vesawkar said. "Unlike some other teams we don't have any expats playing for us. That ensures that we have very good team spirit. We're Nepali and proud to play for Nepal. We're amateur cricketers with limited facilities, so to be able to come here and give our best is something to be proud of."
Touring other countries and gaining experience of the conditions is also difficult for the Associates nations, although the ICC do arrange tournaments all around the world. Nepal, in their first match against a Test side, were not embarrassed by a pumped-up Bangladesh on Tuesday, although Vesawkar said the team were "not used to these kind of conditions". The extra pace and bounce in Chittagong has required some adjusting to but they will face no respite against Afghanistan, a team who have had the wood over them in recent years.
"We always like to play against Afghanistan," he said. "In 2008 we were neck and neck, but they suddenly rose to the occasion and we were left behind a little bit. We tried to catch up and hopefully we can do well against them. We are good friends off the field. We play hard on the field, but when we meet at the hotel we're in each other's rooms all the time. We're just playing at the higher level together now. We know them, how they play, and it's the same for them."
The Associate nations rubbing along together in the shadows of the game may be good for camaraderie but it ought to be possible to provide more tangible reward.
Dar heroics guide HK to historic win; Bangladesh through
Hong Kong 114 for 8 (Dar 36, Shakib 3-9) beat Bangladesh 108 (Nadeem 4-21, Nizakat 3-19)
Munir Dar smacked a 27-ball 36 to guide Hong Kong to a historic, two-wicket win over Bangladesh © ICC
Hong Kong pulled off the shock of the tournament thus far beating Bangladesh by two wickets despite the hosts managing to edge past Nepal on net run-rate for a place in the Super 10s.
Nadeem Ahmed and Nizakat Khan shared seven Bangladesh scalps, bowling the hosts out for just 108 runs in 16.3 overs. Wholesome biffs from Irfan Ahmed and Munir Dar ensured that unranked Hong Kong won the game in the final over.
Group A Final Standing
| Pos | Team | Pl | Pts | RR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 4 | +1.466 | |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | +0.933 | |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | -0.981 | |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | -1.455 |
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