Kathmandu, January 24
Nepal earned a consolation victory in the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup by defeating Malaysia by 7 wickets in the playoff match.
Chasing a target of 46 runs set by Malaysia, Nepal achieved it in 11 overs, losing 3 wickets. Captain Puja Mahato led the charge with an unbeaten 23 runs, while Simana KC remained not out on 4 runs. Malaysia’s Marsya claimed 3 wickets.
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat, Malaysia were bowled out for 45 runs in 16.5 overs. Nur Iman was the top scorer for Malaysia with 15 runs. For Nepal, captain Puja Mahato took 4 wickets for just 9 runs in 3.5 overs. Rachana Chaudhary claimed 3 wickets, while Simana KC and Riya Sharma picked up one wicket each.
Puja Mahato emerged as the highest wicket-taker for Nepal in the tournament, with 9 wickets from 4 matches, covering the group stage and playoffs. Although the Super Six and semifinal matches are yet to be played, Puja currently holds the top spot in the wicket-takers’ list.
Nepal had earlier faced defeats in the group stage against Bangladesh, Scotland, and Australia.
