Kathmandu - Nepal Women U19 have qualified for the ACC Women’s U19 Asia Cup after reaching the semi-finals of the ACC Women's U19 Premier Cup in Malaysia.
Nepal sealed their place in the last four with a nine-wicket win over Japan Women U19 in the quarter-final at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi, on Wednesday. The Premier Cup serves as the qualifying tournament for the Women's U19 Asia Cup, with the four semi-finalists earning qualification.
Nepal have remained unbeaten in the tournament so far. They topped Group D with wins over Qatar, Singapore and Hong Kong, before defeating Japan comfortably in the quarter-final.
Sabitri Dhami starred in the chase against Japan with an unbeaten 41 off 32 balls, while Nepal's bowlers had earlier restricted Japan to 86 in 20 overs. Nepal reached the target in 11.2 overs, losing only one wicket.
The qualification marks another important step for Nepal's age-group women's cricket, with the team now set to compete against Asia's top U19 sides in the upcoming ACC Women’s U19 Asia Cup.
Nepal will face United Arab Emirates Women U19 in the semi-final on Friday, with a place in the Premier Cup final at stake.
