Disappointing Hong Kong thrashed by Nepal

Hong Kong's ambitions of proceeding to the next round of the ACC Trophy 2006 took a severe battering when they were soundly beaten by Nepal in the third group match of the tournament.

Hong Kong won the toss and inserted Nepal in fine conditions but on a Kilat wicket that offered variable bounce. Hong Kong's bowlers once again failed to control their line as they conceded 21 wides and 5 no-balls in a wayward display. The free runs allowed Nepal to keep the score ticking over, although Hong Kong would have been pleased to restrict them to just 211-7 from their 50 overs. Afzaal Haider claimed the best figures for Hong Kong with three wickets for 37 runs, although he conceded 8 wides and 2 no-balls. Najeeb Amar was the only other bowler to claim multiple wickets. His two wickets for 39 runs came from nine overs. For Nepal, opener Paresh Lohani top-scored with 45 while Shakti Gauchan scored 35.

Hong Kong had an early set-back when they lost Irfan Ahmed in the second over. A 30-run second wicket patnership was the best of the innings but the loss of Rahul Sharma with the score on 32 triggered a dramatic collapse that saw Hong Kong lose their next six wickets for the addition of only 44 more runs. Skipper Tim Smart was the only recognised batsman to offer much resistance with 34 runs from 63 balls. The tail wagged briefly as Afzaal Haider and Nadeem Ahmed tried to revive Hong Kong's fortunes but their efforts were in vein as Hong Kong was eventually dismissed for 124 from 43.3 overs. Dhirendra was the best of Nepal's bowlers with 4-31 from nine overs while Khadka chimed in with 3-16 from eight.

Hong Kong now faces a winner-takes-all clash against Kuwait on Sunday to determine who will join Nepal in the quarter-final round of the tournament.

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