Nepal Police Club put on an impressive display against Madhesh Province by the end of Day 1 in Match 3 of the Jay Trophy. Playing at the Narayani Cricket Ground in Birgunj, Police finished the day with a 45-run lead.
Inviting Madhesh to bat first, Police bowled them out for just 129 runs. Madhesh were well-placed at 99/2 at one point but collapsed, losing their final eight wickets for just 30 runs. Mayan Yadav fought valiantly with a score of 59, while Niraj Yadav contributed 29 runs. Abhishek Tiwari remained unbeaten on 17 down the order. No other batsman managed to reach double digits as Madhesh were dismissed in 42.4 overs.
Gulshan Jha was the standout bowler for Police, taking a five-wicket haul with figures of 13-4-40-5. Kushal Bhurtel also contributed by claiming two wickets.
In response, Nepal Police Club batted superbly, putting on 96 runs for the opening partnership. Kushal Bhurtel played a patient innings, scoring 63 runs, while Dilip Nath contributed a steady 40 runs. Gulshan Jha accelerated with a quick 20 runs, and Amit Shrestha (34) and Aarif Sheikh (13) remained unbeaten at the crease.
Harishankar Sah took two wickets for Madhesh, while Abhishek Tiwari claimed one.
Police earned 8 bonus points, while Madhesh accumulated 4 bonus points at the end of Day 1.
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