The Nepal national women’s cricket team secured a narrow victory over the Sri Lanka Women Development Squad by two runs in their third T20 practice match held at Surrey Village in Maggona on Tuesday.
Led by Indu Barma, the Nepalese team successfully defended a target of 113, bowling out the Sri Lankan side for 110 in 19.5 overs. Key performances included Kabita Joshi’s 3-16 and Kritika Marasini’s 2-16.
This win prevented a series sweep by the hosts, with Nepal having lost the first match by 33 runs and the second by four wickets.
For Sri Lanka Development Squad, Balasuriya was the top scorer with 38 runs off 36 balls, while Nethranjali added 26 runs from 20 balls.
Sri Lanka suffered an early collapse as Kabita Kunwar trapped opener Karindi leg before in the third over, and Chhetri ran out Wijesinghe in the fourth.
Balasuriya, supported by Nethranjali, seemed to be steering the hosts to victory until Joshi dismissed both batters in the 16th and 18th overs, respectively, diminishing their chances of a clean sweep.
Skipper Barma also claimed a wicket during the match.
Nepal, opting to bat first, posted 112-6 in their 20 overs. Rubina Chhetri played a crucial role in reviving the innings after a collapse in the eighth over.
Samjhana Khadka (10 off 20) and Sita Rana Magar (15 off 23) gave Nepal a solid start with a 31-run partnership for the opening wicket.
However, Nepal was in trouble at 33-3 after losing three quick wickets to Thennakone (2-21) in the eighth over, including both openers.
Bindu Rawal and Barma tried to stabilize the innings, but Barma’s dismissal in the 13th over left Nepal at 52-4.
Chhetri then partnered with Rawal to counter the Sri Lankan bowlers, pushing Nepal past the 100-run mark. Chhetri scored 37 off 26 balls, and Rawal added 20 off 31 balls.
This victory is a significant morale booster for Nepal ahead of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup, starting on July 19.
Nepal is placed in a challenging group with defending champions India, two-time runners-up Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates.
Nepal, yet to secure a win in this biennial competition, will open their Asia Cup campaign against the United Arab Emirates on Friday, followed by matches against Pakistan on July 21 and India on July 23.
