Nagoya: Hong Kong, China and Nepal recorded important victories on Day 2 of the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games in Nagoya, keeping their respective quarter-final hopes alive.
Hong Kong, China bounced back from their opening defeat against Malaysia with a 41-run win over Oman, while Nepal began their campaign with a convincing victory against Afghanistan.
Hong Kong, China defeat Oman by 41 runs
Hong Kong, China recovered from a difficult start to the competition by defending a modest total against Oman.
After choosing to bat first, Hong Kong, China scored 121 for 8 in 20 overs, with Hafeez Khan leading the way with 33 runs. Babar Hayat added 23, with the pair sharing a 51-run partnership for the third wicket.
Oman made early breakthroughs through Sufyan Mehmood and Shuaib Al Balushi, who removed Nizakat Khan and Anshy Rath during the opening overs.
Hafeez and Hayat briefly stabilised the innings before Oman regained control. Mohammed Al Balushi was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets.
Late contributions from Yasim Murtaza, who scored 18, and Ehsan Khan, who made 16, helped Hong Kong, China reach 121.
Oman’s chase quickly unravelled.
Ayush Shukla made the major impact with the new ball, claiming three wickets for 13 runs from his first three overs as Oman slipped to four wickets down inside the Powerplay.
Shuaib Al Balushi attempted to rebuild the innings with 20 from 26 balls, but his dismissal left Oman in serious trouble. Hong Kong, China’s spinners then completed the job, with Murtaza and Mohammad Ghazanfar combining for two wickets while conceding only 19 runs from their eight overs.
Oman were eventually dismissed for 80 in the 12th over, with captain Sufyan Mehmood top-scoring with 26.
The 41-run victory significantly improves Hong Kong, China’s position in Group B.
The qualification equation will now depend on Oman’s final match against Malaysia. An Oman defeat would see Malaysia and Hong Kong, China progress, while an Oman victory would leave all three teams tied on one win, making net run rate decisive.
Nepal make winning start against Afghanistan
Nepal also began their Asian Games campaign with a comfortable victory, chasing down Afghanistan’s total of 102.
Afghanistan, who had defeated Japan in their opening match, struggled against a disciplined Nepal bowling attack.
After opting to bat first, Afghanistan lost their top three batters for single-digit scores and were reduced to 16 for 3.
Faisal Shinozada attempted to rebuild the innings and scored 30 from 33 deliveries. He added 39 runs with Najibullah Zadran, but Afghanistan again lost wickets after the partnership was broken.
The score slipped from 55 for 4 to 65 for 6 before Zadran provided further resistance with 30. Nangeyalia Kharote added 17 late in the innings, but Afghanistan were eventually bowled out for 102.
Lalit Rajbanshi led Nepal’s impressive bowling effort with 3 for 13, striking in each of his first three overs.
Kushal Bhurtel then produced an equally effective spell in the middle overs, claiming 4 for 21 and coming close to a hat-trick.
Nepal’s chase suffered a brief setback when they slipped to 12 for 2, but the relatively modest target allowed them to recover without taking unnecessary risks.
Captain Rohit Paudel remained unbeaten on 33, while Sundeep Jora contributed 34 to guide Nepal towards the target.
Nepal eventually completed the chase comfortably to secure an important opening victory.
Nepal will next face Japan on September 26, with another victory potentially strengthening their position in the race for a quarter-final place.
