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Karnali continue winning run, third victory for Kathmandu
Karnali Yashvis continued their winning run in the Everest Women’s Volleyball League as they defeated Chitwan Shakti 3-2 in a thrilling battle at the National Sports Council’s covered hall in Kathmandu on Thursday. Karnali came from behind twice and took the fifth and deciding set for a 20-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-15, 15-13 victory that also helped them maintain a perfect start in the league. The win gave Karnali a fourth victory in as many matches and they are the only team to taste a defeat. The victory put them firmly in position to reach the final as they have 10 points and lead the standings. The top two teams at the end of the single robin league will progress into the final, which is scheduled for Saturday. Kathmandu Spikers are in the second spot after they pulled off their third straight victory with a 3-1 win over Madhesh United. The victory also cemented Kathmandu’s bid for the final. They have nine points from four matches. The outcome eliminated winless Madhesh from the competition without playing their last match. Madhesh have lost all their four matches. Kathmandu’s victory also showed the exit door to Gandaki Thurders, who are also winless and have just one point in the league. Madhesh started brightly, winning the first set 25-15 but Kathmandu fought back to win the remaining sets 25-23, 25-15, 25-18 to extend their winning streak to three matches. Kathmandu had lost their opening game against Lalitpur Queens 20-25, 25-21, 21-25, 19-25.
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Nepal back to winning ways, finally
Nepal national men’s cricket team are finally finding their form as they defeated Oman by 56 runs in their third match of the Canada T20I Series to pull off their second victory in King City, Canada. Nepal had beaten the same side by 37 runs in their first T20I game on Sunday to end their eight match winless streak across both T20 and one-day formats that stretched back to May’s T20 World Cup warm-up game against Canada in Dallas, the United States. But Canada still proved a tough nut to crack for the Rhinos because Nepal have not managed to beat the Canadians in King City in their last four meetings. Nepal lost both their T20I matches of the series against Canada. They were also winless against the hosts in both matches of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2. In fact, Nepal could not win a single match of the Canada Tri-Series of the League 2—they also lost to Oman by one wicket, while their second leg clash was abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain—that extended their winless run in the League 2 to five straight matches including three losses in the League 2 tri-series in Kathmandu. Nepal have won only one out of their eight matches of the League 2 and sit second from bottom with just three points. The T20I double against Oman is a welcome boost to Rohit Paudel’s men ahead of their tour to the US, where they will engage in a T20I bilateral series against the hosts and US Tri-series of the League 2 which also involves Scotland. However, it remains to be seen whether they can carry their T20I success to the US as well. Fortunately, Nepal, who have found more success in T20 format than one-day game this year, will have more time to rediscover their batting strength as they begin their tour of the US with the three-match T20I series first. The signs are promising as well. Gulsan Jha is in fine form. He scored a half-century and took a five-wicket haul in Nepal’s one-wicket League 2 loss against Oman but his unbeaten 40 and a bowling figures of 2-14 in T20I clash against Oman helped Nepal end their losing streak. He also made 34 runs against Canada during the League 2 and was unconquered on 23 against the same team in the T20I game. Captain Rohit Paudel is also gradually finding his strength with the bat. It was Paudel’s unbeaten 56 that helped Nepal post 157-7 in King City on Wednesday. His patient 44-ball knock featured two fours and four sixes. Paudel also took two Oman wickets in the only over he bowled that included the wicket of top scorer Zeeshan Maqsood (35 off 30). Kushal Bhurtel, who has more than 1000 career runs in all formats, has been the biggest flop of the year after continuously failing to impress in the opening line up. Bhurtel has been dropped to the lower order for his no show but it seems to have worked as he is slowly finding confidence with the bat. But the part-time bowler has never failed to make his mark when he bowls. He took a game-changing 3-10 in his magical 1.5 overs spell to restrict Oman to 101 that seized a 56-run victory on Wednesday. Bhurtel also scored 20 runs and took 2-32 against Oman in their first T20I clash. Nepal also fielded a separate XI in one-day and T20 format in King City with Aarif Sheikh, Arjun Saud and Anil Sah being one of the central figures for the ODI games. Among the trio, Sah could be the missing piece of the puzzle in Nepal’s opening order. After starting in the middle order in the League 2 with no success, Sah was given the opening job in all four matches of the T20I tri-series. Sah paid coach Monty Desai’s faith with a fine opening in his two outings. Continuing Sah in the opening order in the US tour might just do the trick for Nepal who will now look to get back in the game later this month. Big hitters Dipendra Singh Airee, who climbed to second spot in the ICC’s Men’s T20I all-rounder rankings on Wednesday, and Kushal Malla returned for Nepal’s T20I games in King City but have yet to deliver. Same is the story for Dev Khanal, who made his T20I debut in Canada and featured in two more games. But the batter, who captained Nepal U-19 team in the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup in January and guided his team to a famous one-wicket win over Test nation Afghanistan with a half-century, might take some time to click with the senior team. Nepal’s another opener Aasif Sheikh is also not in the best form, while fast bowler all-rounder Karan KC has also struggled. But Sandeep Lamichhane continued his stellar performance with the ball taking 12 wickets in King City. The leg spinner also swung bat brilliantly and almost scored his first career ODI half-century (49 runs off 48 balls) during the League 2 against Canada when no others could.
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Women’s team save Nepal’s blushes
Nepal women’s team ended the Day 1 of the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy with a victory at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu after the hosts’ men’s team suffered defeats in both their matches. Nepal women had lost their first match 32-0 against the Philippines and faced a 17-5 defeat against Guam in their second Group E game of women’s pool but bounced back to see off Uzbekistan 12-7. Nepal’s men’s team, who are in Group B, lost their matches 24-0 against Uzbekistan and 27-7 against Bahrain. The Asia Rugby’s biggest tournament, which features 14 men’s teams and eight women’s teams from all five sub-regions of Asia, will conclude on Saturday. The men’s teams include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, India, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan. The women’s teams are Guam, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan.
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