Daijiworld Media Network - Nisshin

Nisshin, Sep 25: Nepal produced a strong all-round performance to stun Afghanistan by five wickets in their Group A opening match at Korogi Sports Park here on Friday.

Chasing a modest target of 103, Nepal overcame an early setback to reach the target, with Rohit Paudel remaining unbeaten on 33 off 32 balls, Sundeep Jora scoring 34 off 35 and captain Dipendra Singh Airee contributing 15 off 18.

Earlier, leg-spinner Kushal Bhurtel and left-arm finger spinner Lalit Rajbanshi combined to take seven wickets as Nepal's bowling attack kept Afghanistan under pressure throughout their innings.

Nepal's chase got off to a difficult start after both openers departed cheaply. Afghanistan left-arm seamer Faridoon Dawoodzai dismissed Bhurtel for a duck, while right-arm pacer Abdullah Ahmadzai had Aasif Sheikh caught for two.

Nepal suffered another blow when Kushal Malla was run out in the seventh over, leaving the side struggling at 31/3 after 6.3 overs.

Sundeep and Rohit then steadied the innings and kept the scoreboard moving with regular singles and doubles, while also finding boundaries when opportunities arose.

Sundeep struck a four and a six in the ninth and 10th overs before being run out in the 10th over as Afghanistan looked to fight their way back into the contest.

Dipendra joined Rohit and the pair played cautiously, avoiding further setbacks while steadily reducing the required runs. Rohit then struck three boundaries across the 16th and 17th overs as Nepal moved within touching distance of victory.

Dipendra was dismissed in the 18th over with the scores level, but Gulsan Jha completed the chase with a single as Nepal secured a five-wicket victory.

Earlier, Rajbanshi and Bhurtel had put Afghanistan under sustained pressure with their spin. Rajbanshi finished with three wickets while conceding just 13 runs from his four overs, while Bhurtel claimed four wickets.

Afghanistan struggled to build partnerships, with Faisal Shinozada and Najibullah Zadran scoring identical 30s. Nangeyalia Kharoti added 17 towards the end, but Afghanistan could manage only 102 runs.

Afghanistan now have one win and one defeat from their two league matches. Despite the loss, they remain at the top of the three-team Group A table on net run rate.

Nepal, meanwhile, have opened their campaign with a win and will face winless Japan in their final league match.

Each team plays two matches in the league stage, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.