Babar Hayat century, Aizaz four-for hand Nepal first Premier Cup defeat

Babar Hayat's unbeaten 117 and Aizaz Khan's four-wicket haul helped Hong Kong overcome Ishan Pandey's fighting 90 and defeat Nepal by 15 runs in the ACC Men's Premier Cup at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

Hong Kong recovered from 133/7 to post 261/7 after choosing to bat, before dismissing Nepal for 246 in 49.1 overs. It was Nepal's first defeat after three successive victories in Group A.

Chasing 262, Nepal made a steady start through Arjun Kumal and Aasif Sheikh, who added 44 for the first wicket. Ateeq Iqbal broke the partnership by dismissing Kumal for 14.

Sheikh struck six fours and a six in his 44 from 50 deliveries, but his dismissal triggered a difficult period for Nepal. Dev Khanal was removed for six on the same score before Rohit Paudel fell for three, leaving Nepal 88/4 in the 24th over.

Pandey and Dipendra Singh Airee attempted to rebuild the chase with a 54-run fifth-wicket partnership. Airee made 25 from 37 balls before he was stumped off Yasim Murtaza.

Gulsan Jha contributed 20 from 22 deliveries and added 49 with Pandey, but Nepal’s required rate continued to rise. Karan KC then provided late momentum by smashing two sixes in a 13-ball 21.

Nepal reached 231/7 after 47 overs, needing another 31 runs from 18 balls. Sandeep Lamichhane was run out for two before Pandey’s resistance ended at 241/9. His 90 came from 106 deliveries and included six fours and two sixes.

Sher Malla struck a boundary during his unbeaten five, but Nasrulla Rana dismissed Lalit Rajbanshi from the first ball of the final over to bowl Nepal out for 246.

Aizaz was Hong Kong's most successful bowler, taking 4/50 from 10 overs. Murtaza returned 2/33, while Rana, Iqbal and Kinchit Shah claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, Nepal had reduced Hong Kong to 133/7 in the 31st over after Sher Malla and Lamichhane shared all seven wickets.

Malla removed openers Anshy Rath and Zeeshan Ali before dismissing Shahid Wasif, who scored 45 from 49 balls. Lamichhane accounted for Kinchit Shah, Kalhan Challu, Murtaza and Aizaz to finish with 4/44.

However, Hayat transformed the innings with Ehsan Khan. The pair added an unbeaten 128 for the eighth wicket, lifting Hong Kong from a vulnerable position to 261/7.

Hayat struck seven fours and seven sixes in his unbeaten 117 from 126 balls, while Ehsan contributed an unbeaten 35 from 46. Malla completed figures of 3/27 from his 10 overs.

Nepal had already secured a place in the knockout stage after victories over Bahrain, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The defeat ended their unbeaten run ahead of the semi-finals.