Nepal completes semi-finals line up after surprise win over Hong Kong in ACC Women's Tournament in Malaysia

Nepal completed the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) Women's Tournament semi-finals line up after fast bowlers Neera Rajapadyay and Nary Thapa bowled their team to a surprise seven-wicket victory over pre-tournament favourites Hong Kong in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Sunday.

Rajapadyay and Thapa operated with a high degree of accuracy to share six wickets between them as Hong Kong, which decided to bat after winning the toss, was dismissed for 31 in 23.5 overs.

Rajapadyay finished with 3-4 from 5.5 overs and Thapa captured 3-5 from her six overs, while new-ball partners Sita Ranamagar and Ritu Kanoujiya took one wicket each. Keenu Gill was the only Hong Kong batsman to reach double figures.

Nepal, in turn, made sure that it not only won the match comfortably but also took the opportunity to get vital batting practice ahead of the knock-out round by overhauling the target in 23.5 overs for the loss of only three wickets. Manisha Rawal (10) and Madhu Thapa (11) both reached double figures.

The victory helped Nepal win Group A with 10 points while Hong Kong finished second with eight points. In Tuesday's semi-finals, Nepal will take on China while Hong Kong will meet Bangladesh, which topped Group B by virtue of its 86-run victory over China on Sunday.

Bangladesh's top three batsmen reached double figures to help it collect 108 in 29.5 overs. Panna Ghosh top scored with 26 from 44 balls while Chamely Khatun chipped in with a 45-ball 19 and captain Tajkia Akhtar contributed 16.

For China, fast bowler Mei Chun Hua returned impressive figures of 5.5-0-27-4 while Chen Yong Juan took 3-16.

China's reply saw it bowled out for 22 in 21 overs with Champa Chakma taking 4-5 and Tithy Rani Sarkar claiming 3-2.

In the last round of group matches on Monday, the United Arab Emirates will take on Singapore while Malaysia will meet Thailand. Each match in the tournament is 30 overs per side.

The increased profile and role for women's cricket in the region is all part of the ACC's five-year strategic development plan and has seen it release special funds to the non-Test playing teams for preparatory purposes.

The idea behind the drive is to synchronise women's cricket in the region among developing ICC Members and, at the same time, provide the players with match action which, it is hoped, will speed up their understanding of the game and their skill levels.

Women's cricket came under the auspices of the ICC and ACC in 2005 when the ICC merged with the International Women's Cricket Council (IWCC). Before merger, the IWCC had 15 members and since integration the women's game has grown fast and there were now 42 members with formal girls' and/or women's teams playing in structured cricket competitions.

A further 23 do not have competition teams yet but do have girls in junior development initiatives. That makes 71 of ICC's 101 members with some women's cricket and it is growing all the time.