On Friday (July 19), Nepal Women celebrated a landmark achievement at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla, as they secured their maiden victory in the Women’s Asia Cup. They delivered a commanding performance to defeat United Arab Emirates (UAE) Women by 6 wickets with 23 balls to spare in their Group A encounter.
Indu Barma’s bowling brilliance limits UAE to modest score
In the first innings, UAE’s batting effort was thwarted by a disciplined Nepalese bowling attack, led by Indu Barma. After UAE Women won the toss and chose to bat, their openers Esha Oza and Theertha Satish were unable to provide a stable start. Oza was dismissed for 10 runs, run out, and Satish followed soon after, caught and bowled by Barma for just 9 runs. Despite some resistance from Kavisha Egodage (22 off 26 balls) and Khushi Sharma (36 off 39 balls), the UAE innings struggled to gain momentum. Barma’s standout performance included 3 crucial wickets for just 19 runs in her 4-over spell, effectively dismantling the UAE batting lineup and restricting them to a total of 115/8 in 20 overs.
Also READ: Women’s Asia Cup 2024: Date, Match Time, Venue, Broadcast and Live Streaming Details
Samjhana Khadka’s match-winning knock secures historic win for Nepal
In response to the modest target of 116, Nepal embarked on their chase with a measured approach. Despite losing Sita Rana Magar early for 7 runs, Samjhana Khadka emerged as the hero of the innings. Khadka played a match-winning knock, scoring 72 runs off 45 balls with 11 boundaries, showcasing both power and precision. Her commanding innings kept Nepal on track throughout the chase. With valuable support from Rubina Chhetry and Puja Mahato, who contributed crucial runs, Nepal reached their target comfortably. They achieved the victory at 118/4 in 16.1 overs, marking a historic milestone as they secured their first-ever win in the Women’s Asia Cup.
Here’s how Fans reacted:
Well done girls.
Super proud.
Brilliant from Samjhana Khadka and the team.
🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵@CricketNep @ACCMedia1 #NepalCricket #OneBallBattles #HerGameToo pic.twitter.com/Ibo9DhJJZI
— Paras Khadka (@paras77) July 19, 2024
Great start by Nepal in the Women’s Asia Cup opening game. 72* off 45 from Samjhana Khadka and 3/19 from Indu Barma gets them off the mark with a 6-wicket win over UAE with 23 balls remaining#AsiaCup2024
— Georgie Heath🎙️ (@GeorgieHeath27) July 19, 2024
What a win for the women’s team, to register their 1st victory in Asia Cup👏🏽
Indu Barma and Samjhana Khadka with the exceptional performance ❤️
Congratulation to the team !!
— 🇳🇵 (@ya5hpal) July 19, 2024
Quality fifty from Samjhana Khadka against UAE in Asia Cup. This is the 1st time Nep batter has struck fifty in the Women’s Asia Cup (also 1st against UAE by any Nep batter). It’s also her first fifty in T20i. This is the first time she has opened the innings in t20i.#NEPvUAE
— Samraat Maharjan (@MaharjanSamraat) July 19, 2024
This is already the best I have seen any nepali play at this level. Samjhana khadka, don’t ruin her CAN. Please. #NEPvUAE
— Better call Anish (@bettercallanish) July 19, 2024
सम्झनालाई बिर्सन सकिन्न
Big stage gives you big player.What an exceptional innings Samjhana Khadka played today.Hopefully she will continue impressing cricketing world in future.After so so long gap of time Nepali W cricket team played really well making the nation proud.
— slamichhanegrg (@grgsailen) July 19, 2024
Congratulations to our women’s team. WOW! What a victory, first one in Asia Cup.
Against all the odds, Samjhana stood tall and ensured Nepal’s win. One of the best innings in Nepal cricket history. One to remember for a lifetime.
Well done, ladies. 👏🇳🇵
— Sandip Poudel Pietersen (@PietersenSandip) July 19, 2024
🏆 Victory for Nepal! 🇳🇵🎉#Victory | #AsiaCupW | #WomensCricket | #NepalCricket | #HerGameToo pic.twitter.com/0Q1KQArRN0
— CAN (@CricketNep) July 19, 2024
Congratulations to Samjhana for an outstanding performance! Scoring 72 runs and leading Nepal to victory against UAE is a tremendous achievement. Your dedication and skill on the field have truly inspired us all.
Congratulations Team Nepal.#WomensAsiaCup2024 .
— Pramesh Dhami (@Pramesh_Dhami) July 19, 2024
Samjhana Khadka getting 72* out of 118 in an innings where no other batter passed 10
That too at a strike rate of 160, probably the best innings ever by a Nepal woman#AsiaCup2024 #WomensAsiaCup2024 #WomensAsiaCup
— Mohit Shah (@mohit_shah17) July 19, 2024
Great Win!!! Well done Team Nepal. #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/1GbNffeHuT
— Rohitpaudel17 (@rohitpaudel17) July 19, 2024
Nepal defeated United Arab Emirates by 6 wickets 🏏
– Maiden victory for Nepal in the Women’s Asia Cup 🙌👏
Scorecard: https://t.co/x8psj5aC0l#women #cricket #AsiaCup #NepalCricket #CricketTwitter #WomenCricket pic.twitter.com/04wJfBaiBr
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) July 19, 2024
Also READ: Women’s Asia Cup 2024: Here are the complete squads of all 8 teams
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
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