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| Kathmandu, Saturday February 22, 2003 Falgun 10, 2059. |
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Biratnagar maul Nepalgunj
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Feb 21 ; Biratnagar received a huge
boost ahead of Sunday’s crucial title clash against Kathmandu following their
emphatic 193-run thrashing over Region No 5 Nepalgunj on Friday in the Birendra Memorial
National Cricket Championship.
The Friday’s convincing win also guarantied
a bonus point for Biratnagar, which means if the rain affects the Sunday’s final,
Biratnagar would be the winners on better run rate and points of the league
matches. Biratnagar gathered 16 points in the league phases while Kathmandu acquired 14.
Biratnagar made mammoth 252 runs in 45 overs for
the loss of five wickets while Nepalgunj could only manage 59 runs in 26.3 overs.
Biratnagar skipper Dipendra Chaudhary won the
toss and opted to bat first and his decision of batting proved right when the opening pair
Mehaboob Alam (37) and Yaswant Subedi (14) added 53 runs for the first-wicket partnership.
The big-hitting Alam belted five boundaries and a huge sixer off medium pacer Rajendra
Chand’s third over.
Chaudhary played a captain’s knock chipping
in with 56 runs off 80 balls before being trapped by Arvinda Karn. Chaudhary and reliable
Unil Shrestha added 100 runs for the third wicket stand. Shrestha belted five boundaries
in his 73-balls 57 runs. Allrounder Paras Luniya demonstrated some bazooka hitting in the
later part of the innings as he accelerated the score making 45 runs off just 30 balls. He
remained unbeaten.
No bowlers introduced by Nepalgunj captain Arun
Thapa bowled well as they conceded 36 extra runs in an innings. Youngster Irfan Siddhiqui
also failed to impress giving away 41 runs in seven overs. Arvinda Karn, Dhirendra Chand
and Arun Thapa picked up a wicket apiece.
Nepalgunj’s poor day continued even in
their batting as most of them just threw the wickets to discipline Biratnagar bowling
attack. Man of the match Alam send two top-order Nepalgunj batsmen to the pavilion in his
opening six-over spell. He conceded six runs and bowled three maiden overs. Lakpa Lama,
though not doing well with the ball, fielded exceptionally well to get rid from Nepalgunj
stars Arun Thapa and Rohit Sharma as both the batsmen fell short of their crease.
Dhirendra Chand, in the middle, stayed a bit
longer but off-spinner Aayus Shrestha removed him after showing a brilliant catch in his
own bowling. Leg-spinner Rajkumar Pradan did rest of the job picking three Nepalgunj
tailenders within seven deliveries. Lama also claimed the wicket of Dhan Bahadur Chettri. |
