KATHMANDU: Pawan Sarraf's half-century went in vain as Nepal A suffered a two-wicket defeat against New Zealand A in the final one-day match of their Australia tour at Gardens Oval in Darwin on Sunday.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Nepal A were dismissed for 211 from their 50 overs. New Zealand A completed the chase at 212/8 in 49.5 overs, sealing victory with only one ball remaining.
Sarraf led Nepal A's batting effort with 61, while Lokesh Bam contributed 47. Captain Anil Sah added 24 and Mayan Yadav made 20, but Nepal A were unable to turn those starts into a larger total.
Matt Fisher was the standout bowler for New Zealand A, claiming four wickets. Kristian Clarke and Adithya Ashok took two wickets each, while Zakary Gibson and Muhammad Abbas collected one apiece.
Nepal A’s bowlers kept the match alive until the final over, but Mariu's century proved decisive for New Zealand A.
The opener scored 137 off 134 deliveries and held the chase together despite wickets falling around him. His innings allowed New Zealand A to recover repeatedly and remain within reach of the target heading into the closing overs.
Rijan Dhakal, Shahab Alam and Yuvraj Khatri took two wickets each for Nepal A. Bipin Khatri and Sarraf claimed one apiece as the visitors reduced New Zealand A to eight wickets down.
Nepal A were unable to remove Mariu early enough, however, and the hosts crossed the line from the penultimate delivery of the match.
The result completed a difficult three-match one-day series for Nepal A in Australia. They lost their opening match against Tasmania by two wickets after taking the contest into the final over.
South Australia then defeated Nepal A by 138 runs in the second match before New Zealand A handed them another narrow two-wicket loss in the tour finale.
Although Nepal A ended the one-day series without a victory, two of their three defeats went to the final over. The matches followed their participation in the Top End T20 Series and provided Nepal’s emerging and fringe players with experience against Australian state teams and New Zealand's second-string national side.
