Nepal 205 for 9 (Regmi 66) beat New Zealand 204 (Astle 66, Regmi 3 for 41) by one wicket
Scorecard

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They did it ... Nepal celebrate
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Nepal pulled off a thrilling one-wicket win in the Plate final against New
Zealand, with two balls to spare after they appeared to be dead and
buried at 75 for 6. Basant Regmi was the hero with an incredible allround
performance, hitting a sparkling 66 off 74 balls to follow his 3 for 41.
However, he wasn't alone in the amazing finish as Ratan Rauniyar showed
his batting prowess after Nepal had started the final ten overs needing 70 to
win. When Rauniyar carved the winning boundary backward of square it sparked
scenes of wild celebrations as all of the Nepal players and staff sprinted
on to the field.
They had reached the Plate final in 2002 but lost to
Zimbabwe; this time they pulled it off ... and in amazing circumstances. Shock
results have been like London buses in this tournament: it may have taken 38 matches for the first - when Nepal downed South Africa - but then another came along almost straight away.
Roy Dias, Nepal's Sri Lankan coach, could hardly contain his joy: "After
the 2002 final it is just great that we have got across the line - for the
players and the country. People will celebrate a lot because it is very
important for Nepal. We have beaten two Test-playing nations and that's a
great achievement for the youngsters as they can now believe in
themselves."
Dias added that he never thought the target was out of reach: "I knew we
had batsmen lower down the order and we just needed a partnership. Even
with one wicket left we only need a run-a-ball plus the odd boundary."
The captain, Kanishka Chaugai was equally thrilled: "It's a big
achievement for me because, for a lot of this side, it is the last time we
will play Under-19 cricket and to take home some silverware from the Plate
is amazing."
Chasing targets has been Nepal's problem in this tournament and they again
appeared to be caving in under the pressure. After a promising opening
stand of 36, wickets tumbled at regular intervals as the Kiwis tightened
the noose. But Nepal hadn't got to this stage of the tournament without
having some real fight - and now they showed it in grand style.
Firstly, Regmi in partnership with Prem Chaudhary began to fray some
nerves in the New Zealand camp. Still, though, it was hard to think that Nepal
could turn the game on its head, especially when Chaudhary and Sashi
Kesari, the Supersub, fell in quick succession to leave them floundering at 148 for 8.
Regmi, however, refused to give in and encouraged Rauniyar to hang in
there with him. New Zealand tried all they could to separate the pair, but
slowly the pressure began to tell. Fielders started letting boundaries
through their legs and the tension was showing as the final overs came
into view.
With four overs to go they needed 34; by the last it was down to nine. The
Kiwis were rattled, so much so that they conceded a no-ball in the final
over because they didn't have four fielders inside the circle. That was
the moment they finally cracked - with the next ball Nepal secured an
astonishing victory.
All the New Zealanders could do was stand with hands on hips. They
certainly hadn't been at their best in this match, but this was a bitter
pill to swallow. Their batting had scraped to 204 thanks to Todd Astle's 66
then the bowlers, especially Hamish Bennett, performed their roles with
aplomb for at least 35 overs. However, they have learnt - and in the harshest
possible way - that there is never a time to relax.
Colin Munro had seemingly settled any early nerves in the field with two
early wickets as Nepal began their chase, and some useful spin bowling
meant New Zealand had one hand on the Plate. However, it was only the loosest of grips and the trophy was snatched from their grasp by a Nepal side that has been one of the stars in this World Cup. If tomorrow's Super League final lives up to
this it will be some match.
Andrew McGlashan is editorial assistant of Cricinfo