KATHMANDU, May 30: Nepal will face India in the opening match of the U-19 Asia Cup cricket tournament on June 23 at the Kinrara Oval Stadium, Malaysia.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) published the tie-sheet of the tournament on Wednesday.
Nepal is slated in the group A along with host Malaysia, Pakistan and India in the tournament to be held from June 23 to July 1 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Nepal will take on Malaysia in its second match on June 25 at the Selangor Turf Club and face Pakistan on June 26 at the Royal Selangor Club.
The group ´B´ of the tournament includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Qatar and Sri Lanka.
Top two teams of each group will qualify for the semifinals to take place on June 28 and 29. The final of the tournament will be played on July 1.
Cricket Association Nepal (CAN) has been running closed camp training for the 24 young players for the last two weeks. CAN has called up all the 14 members of Nepali U-19 team that helped the country qualify for the ICC U-19 World Cup in the closed camp training and 10 other players selected on the basis of performance in the recently concluded Wai Wai U-19 National Cricket Tournament.
Khakurel scores 150 in practice match
Meanwhile, U-19 team led by Prithu Baskota edged past a Nepali senior team led by Gyanendra Malla by 98 runs in a practice match played at the TU Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Subash Khakurel blasted 150 runs off 142 balls and Pradeep Airee scored 72 runs off 71 balls to help the U-19 team score 334 runs in 50 overs losing five wickets. As the opening pair put up a 150-run partnership, Khakurel struck 12 boundaries and five sixes while Airee hit five boundaries and two sixes. Hasim Ansari remained unbeaten with 43 runs off 33 balls while skipper Baskota chipped in with 17 runs off 16 balls. Senior boys gave away 36 runs as extras.
Raju Basnet took two wickets while Sunam Gautam, Amrit Bhattarai and Chandra Saud dismissed a batsman each.
Chasing a huge total, the senior team was all out in 43.4 overs scoring only 236 runs. Sharad Vesawkar scored 84 runs off 79 balls while Binod Das scored 51 runs off 71 balls. Opener Paresh Lohani struck 36 runs off 34 balls.
Nischal Pandey claimed three wickets for U-19 team while Saurabh Khanal and Gopal Kumar Singh took two wickets each. Rajesh Pulami also claimed a wicket when two senior team batsmen remained short of the crease.
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