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Nepal eye maiden U-16 title



Nepal have a solid chance of lifting their maiden ACC U-16 Elite Cup trophy on Sunday as Nepal will take on their well-known opponent Malaysia in the final to be held at the Kinrara Oval Ground of Kula Lumpur, Malaysia. Nepal, playing their second consecutive final of the tournament will leave no stone unturned to clinch their maiden title which they lost two years ago at home. Singapore had defeated Nepal in the final of the first edition held in Kathmandu in 2010.

Nepal and the hosts Malaysia are not mysterious teams to each other. Both teams have played many times for U-19 titles, but this time they will be vying for their maiden U-16 title. The history also favors the visitors Nepal as they have never lost any matches to Malaysia ever in senior or age group competitions.    

On the other hand, playing against home side on their home ground can yield trouble for Nepal. Malaysia have better records at the Kinrara and Nepal have defeated Malaysia at other grounds. However, nothing can be predicted soon as the cricket’ beauty lies in its unpredictability.   

Nepal have to be cautious against Malaysia because Malaysia is the only side that have given strong reply to Nepal in the ongoing tournament. Nepal had to toil hard and wait till the penultimate delivery to beat them in the last group match. Moreover, Malaysia defended the lowest total against Oman before cruising into the final. 

Nepal have played their three matches at the Kinrara, where Nepali batsmen have put excellence show with bat and Nepali bowlers have been spotless with the ball. Overall, Nepal have played some high-quality cricket throughout the tournament.

Nepali team did not have any practice session on the eve of the final match, informed coach Manjur Alam Khan. “We have given players rest because we cannot risk of any injuries prior to the final match. We also wanted them to be free of mental and physical exhaustion,” clarified coach.
 
During the practice session Malaysia coach Bilal Asad was confident of thrashing Nepal in final. “We won’t let history repeat again. We are confident enough to win,” claimed Asad. “My boys will put pressure on Nepal from the beginning of the match,” coach added.

All-round Nepal appear strong in both bowling and batting department than Malaysia. Nepali batsmen are the top run-getters in the tournament. Five batsmen have struck blazing half-centuries that verifies well-built batting lineup of Nepal. Opener Nurdhoj Sen have scored 167 runs from five matches, while D. Rajan of Malaysia have collected 119 runs from as many matches to secure the third place of highest run-scorer table. Nepali captain Deependra Chand has 117 runs to his credit from five matches. Jagdish Chand, known as game-changer have smashed two half-centuries and added another star in middle order lineup.               
  
Coach Khan was hopeful of his batsmen against Malaysia. “They are batting well and they have found their rhythm now. Even if my two boys bat well then it will be difficult task for Malaysia to stop them. I am counting more on my openers,” opined coach. Opposition coach also praised Nepal’s strong batting lineup. “Their batsmen are scoring well in the tournament and that can be headache for us,” predicted Asad. “We have some sharp bowling attack that can stop them from scoring freely,” added Asad, “They are well-trained and better prepared this time.”    
    
Furthermore, Nepali coach Khan wanted his boys to play with patience. “I know they can bat well against any opposition, yet what lacks in them is consistency and patience sometimes. If they bat with their cool and calm then no one can steal the trophy from us.

Meanwhile, the final match will be a treat for Nepal cricket team ex-coach Roy Luke Dias, who had predicted Nepal and Malaysia as finalists from the beginning. “Both sides are good. I believe the final match will be exciting and competitive,” said Dias.       

With input from Shreelochan Rajopadhyaya
Kuala Lumpur 

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