Asian Games Qualifier: Puja Mahato’s Half-Century and Riya Sharma’s Power Nepal to a 19-Run Win Over China
KUALA LUMPUR — A brilliant all-round display guided the Nepal Women’s cricket team to a clinical 19-run victory over China Women in their Group B clash of the Asian Games Women’s T20I Qualifier at the Bayuemas Oval on Wednesday.
Chasing a target of 126 runs, China were restricted to 106/5 in their stipulated 20 overs, courtesy of a disciplined Nepalese bowling attack spearheaded by Riya Sharma.
Mahato Anchors Nepal’s Innings
Earlier, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, Nepal posted a competitive total of 125/5.
Opening the batting, Puja Mahato anchor-dropped the innings with a beautifully composed half-century. Mahato smashed 63 runs off 57 deliveries, anchoring the team with 5 boundaries before being run out in the final over.
Nepal faced an early setback when opener Samjhana Khadka (4) fell to Ma Ruike in the very first over. Sony Pakhrin then stabilised the innings alongside Mahato, chipping in with a crucial 18 off 24 balls. While skipper Indu Barma was dismissed for a duck, wicketkeeper-batswoman Rubi Poddar played an aggressive cameo at the death, remaining unbeaten on 22 off 25 balls to propel Nepal to a defendable score.
For China, Ma Ruike was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 2/26, while Wang Huiying and Jiaping Li picked up a wicket each.
Player of the Match Riya Sharma
China's chase started steadily but struggled to break free against Nepal's tightly knit bowling lengths.
Riya Sharma turned the game heavily in Nepal's favour. the young bowler delivered a stellar spell, taking 2 wickets for just 18 runs across her 4 overs, including a maiden. Her exceptional performance earned her the 'Player of the Match' honours.
| Nepal Women Bowling Performance | Overs | Maidens | Runs Given | Wickets Taken | Economy |
| Manisha Upadhayay | 4.0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 2.75 |
| Kabita Kunwar | 4.0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 3.75 |
| Riya Sharma | 4.0 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 4.50 |
| Puja Mahato | 3.0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 8.00 |
Chinese skipper Mingyue Zhu top-scored for her side with a fighting 30 off 28 balls, and Wang Huiying contributed 21 runs. However, they found boundaries hard to come by against Manisha Upadhayay (1/11) and Kabita Kunwar (1/15), who kept a strict leash on the run rate to ensure Nepal walked away with the 2 points.
With this flying start, Nepal climbs to the top of the Group B standings.
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