Cricket
Tribhuvan Army Club defeated Sudurpaschim Province by 169 runs in a Group 'A' match of the Prime Minister’s Cup National One-Day Cricket Tournament on Friday.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, the Army put up an imposing total of 282-8 in 50 overs. In reply, Sudurpaschim were skittled for 113 runs in 29.4 overs.
TAC batters Arjun Saud and Rohit Paudel scored fifties, with Saud scoring run-a-ball 73 with six fours and two sixes. Paudel managed 52 from 53 balls with four fours.
Earlier, Saud and Bhim Sarki laid the Army team’s foundation, sharing 96 runs. Kushal Malla missed out on his fifty by seven runs, scoring 43 off 26 balls, including fives sixes.
Sarki managed 34 off 62 balls, while Binod Bhandari scored 28. Sonu Tamang (16), Bikram Sob (15), Hari Chauhan (9) and Sushan Bhari (5) helped take the final score to 282.
Sudurpaschim bowlers Hemant Dhami, Narayan Joshi, Gajendra Bohara picked up two wickets each. Sher Malla and Milan Bohara took one each.
When they returned to chase a stiff target, Sudurpaschim run into trouble as they lost both their openers early. Gajendra Bohara was dismissed without scoring in the first over and Gajendra Bhandari fell for 17.
Basant Khatri top scored with 25 runs from 37 balls before being run out. Tek Rawal scored 15, Milan Bohara (12), Basant Karki (14), Narayan Joshi (19).
Sudurpaschim lost their last three wickets, including skipper Raju Rijal for two and Malla for a duck, to be all out for 113.
TAC’s Jitendra Mukhiya picked up three wickets in 6.4 overs giving away 22 runs. Bikram Sob and Shahab Alam took two each while Sushan Bhari and Sonu Tamang managed one each.
TAC currently sit third in the group table with four points, while Sudurpaschim are at the bottom without point.
For Army, Jitendra Mukhia took three wickets and Bikram Shob and Sahab Alam took two wickets each.
Sharing spoils
Meanwhile, Armed Police Force and Gandaki Province shared spoils when their Group ‘A’ match ended in a tie at the Mulpani Cricket Ground.
The result leaves both sides level on five points, but APF lead the group on the better net run rate.
Put into bat, APF were bowled out for 115 runs in 31.5 overs. But the APF bowlers maintained tight line and length to clean up Gandaki also for 115 runs in 31 overs.
Abhishek Basnet (24) and Arjun Kumal (18) were the only bright spots in the Gandaki innings, as the other batters looked helpless facing the APF attack. Kishore Mahato and Mausam Dhakal took four wickets each and Bhuvan Karki picked up two.
Earlier, Bhuvan Karki scored 24, Puran BK (23) and Lokash Bam and Sandeep Zora scored 22 each to take APF past 100-mark.
For Gandaki, Amrit Gurung and Arjun Kumal took three wickets each and Subash Bhandari took two wickets.
Saturday's matches:
Group A: Karnali Province v Armed Police Force at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur
Group B: Lumbini Province v Madhesh Province at Mulpani Cricket Ground, Mulpani
