KATHMANDU: Nepal Women suffered a 69-run defeat against Hong Kong, China after another batting collapse in the ACC Women's T20I Premier Cup on Saturday.
Nepal did well with the ball after choosing to field first at the Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar Ground in Mantin. Hong Kong were limited to 109/3 in 20 overs, a target Nepal would have expected to chase.
But the reply fell apart immediately. Nepal lost Bindu Rawal, Samjhana Khadka and Puja Mahato with only three runs on the board.
Rubi Poddar also fell early as Nepal slipped to 7/4 in 4.3 overs. Captain Indu Barma was dismissed for six, leaving Nepal at 19/5.
Sony Pakhrin was the only Nepal batter to cross double figures for most of the innings, scoring 12 off 23 balls. Rubina Chhetry added 10, but Nepal were bowled out for 40 in 13.3 overs.
Iqra Sahar starred for Hong Kong with 4/4 from four overs. Kary Chan and Maryam Bibi took two wickets each, while Alison Siu and Joyleen Kaur picked up one each.
Earlier, Yasmin Daswani top-scored for Hong Kong with an unbeaten 42 off 44 balls. Mariko Hill made 29, while Marina Lamplough remained not out on 18.
Nepal's bowlers kept the match within reach. Riya Sharma and Rubina Chhetry took one wicket each, while Natasha Miles was run out.
The defeat again highlighted Nepal's batting inconsistency under head coach Harshal Pathak. Since Pathak took charge in December 2025, Nepal have won 12 of 21 T20Is, but several key defeats have come after low scores or top-order collapses.
In their last 10 T20Is, Nepal have won seven matches and lost three. However, they have also been bowled out for 40 against Hong Kong and made only 50/5 against China in the Asian Games Qualifier play-off.
Nepal's bowlers have kept opponents below 130 in each of their last 10 T20Is, but the batting unit has struggled to repeat strong performances under pressure.
Pathak had identified batting consistency and pressure management as key areas after taking charge. Saturday's defeat showed those remain Nepal's biggest concerns.Nepal
