Nawaz and Tandon knocks in vain as UAE fall to Nepal

Dubai: UAE Under-19 team openers Fahad Nawaz and Ansh Tandon’s hit half-centuries but their knocks went in vain as their team lost to Nepal in the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

The pair put on an opening partnership of 159 runs in the first 27.3 overs.

Nepal, chasing UAE’s total of 268 for 8, won the match by three wickets with five balls to spare.

Nawaz, who is also UAE captain, cracked 83 runs off 95 balls with five boundaries and three sixes while Tandon’s 67 runs off 81 balls had eight boundaries and one six.

Unfortunately for UAE, after the departure of the opening pair, the rest of the batsmen could muster only 99 runs.

Nawaz, who looked set for a century, got out — caught and bowled by Nandan Yadav — at the score on 176.

Yadav also took the wicket of Tandon. After these two knocks none of the batsmen produced a big score. Ali Mirza who hit knocks of 24 and 41 in the previous matches, fell for 16. He was followed by Jonathan Figy for 15. Wicketkeeper Wash Shah remained unbeaten on 18.

Nepal got off to a shaky start as UAE left-arm pacer Aaron Benjamin dismissed their opener Trit Das for 6 and his partner Rit Gautam for 18.

Karthik Meiyappan took the wicket of Nepal captain Aasif Shaikh, caught and bowled for 35. Nepal fought back from 104 for 3. Though Aryan Lakra clean bowled Sundeep Jora for 35, Rohit Paudel carried the innings on his shoulders, He hit 91 runs off 88 balls with six boundaries and three sixes and departed only at the score on 267.

Though Lakra also removed Pawan Sarraf for 9, Rashid Khan chipped in with an invaluable 27 runs to steer Nepal to the target.

Earlier, UAE had lost to Afghanistan by five wickets and to India by 227 runs.