Vesawkar bowls Nepal to victory

Having never picked up a wicket in his career earlier, Sharad Vesawkar, the offspinner, returned figures of 4 for 28 to help Nepal beat Kenya by seven wickets in a World Cricket League Championship game at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kiritpur on Monday (March 13).

Put into bat, Kenya was bowled out for 155 in 46.1 overs. After that, Nepal rode on half-centuries from Gyanendra Malla (64 not out) and Dipendra Airee (62) to reach 160 for 3 in 30.2 overs.

The result did not alter the positions on the table, but it narrowed the gap between Nepal, who is in sixth place with eight points from four wins and Kenya, who remains on fifth with five wins in ten games.

Mahaboob Alam (2 for 11) was the first to strike for Nepal, having Alex Obanda caught behind in the fourth over. Irfan Karim and Collins Obuya stabilised things with a 79-run stand for the third wicket but Sandeep Lamichhane, the legspinner, provided the breakthrough. He had Obuya stumped for 48, and that triggered a collapse.

Karim (38) became Vesawkar’s maiden wicket as Kenya slipped to 107 for 4 in 30.4 overs. Basant Regmi (2 for 24) provided another crucial blow in the 37th over when he had Rakep Patel, Kenya’s captain, for 21. Kenya lost its last seven wickets for just 48 runs and Vesawkar ended the innings when he bowled Elijah Otieno.

Nepal used as many as seven bowlers, of which five got among the wickets.

In its chase, Nepal was in some trouble at 14 for 2 before Malla and Airee added 111 runs at 4.69 per over. The partnership consisted of 14 fours and a six.

Airee got out in the 28th over, but Malla and Vesawkar got the job done through an unbroken association of 35 runs. Vesawkar made 24 off 11 balls, which included four fours – three of them coming in one over against Dhiren Gondaria – and one six.

The win helped Nepal even the score after losing to the same opponent by five wickets in a rain-affected game at the same venue two days back.