LAHORE-Shahnawaz Dahani’s five-wicket haul led defending champions Pakistan Shaheens to a four-wicket win over Nepal in their first match of the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 at the Colombo Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka on Friday.
According to information made available here, after opting to bat first, Nepal were bundled out for 179 in 37 overs. Right-arm pacers Dahani and Mohammad Wasim Jnr headlined the stellar bowling display as they scalped nine of the 10 wickets to fall. Dahani took five wickets for 38 from 10 overs, while Wasim managed four wickets 51 in his allotted 10 overs.
Earlier, the losing team were reeling at 72 for eight in 15.4 overs before Sompal Kami and Pratis GC (26 runs off 24 balls with the help of 1 four and 2 sixes) got together and added 58 runs for the ninth wicket. After the departure of Pratis, Kami knitted a 49-run partnership for the 10th wicket. Kami was the last batter to return back to the hut after scoring 75 off 101 balls, which included nine fours and two sixes.
Chasing the target of 180 runs to win, Tayyab Tahir’s 51 off 67 balls which included six fours led Shaheens to victory inside 33 overs. Omair Bin Yousuf contributed with 36 runs off 40 balls, hitting four boundaries while Kamran Ghulam hammered 26-ball 31 runs with the help of 1 four and 2 maximums. Shaheens will now take on United Arab Emirates (UAE) A on July 17 at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo.