Hosts Kenya fall to Nepal in T20 clash at Nairobi Gymkhana

Sompal Ami’s three wickets for 22 balls was the difference for Nepal as they came through in a tight five-wicket win with four balls to spare against hosts Kenya in the first bilateral series match in nearly a decade at Nairobi Gymkhana.

Nepal scored 133 runs for the loss of five wickets. Dipendra Singh Airee’s 33 runs off 22 balls were splendid as his own contribution in the T20 match had two sixes and a boundary.

Kenya skipper Shem Ngoche praised the players’ input with special mention of the bowling department.

“ It was a good match for us and we feel such exposure is helpful. The wicket today favoured spinners and we took good advantage in our session. The batting towards the end in the first innings helped us reach the big number which we felt was a good target,” he said.

The Stray Lions man stated: “Definitely we have work to do in the second series.”

His sentiments were backed by coach David Obuya who decried too many dot balls that made them give extras to the opponents. Kenya had set a target of 131 after posting 130 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the opening innings.

Irfan Karim (34 runs off 44 balls) was the top scorer for Kenya against Nepal in the first innings with his contribution including three boundaries.

 Lucas Oluoch (31 runs off 13 balls) with a contribution of five boundaries and Nehemiah Odhiambo ( 19 runs off 21 balls) were the other anchors for the home team as they helped to shore up the numbers on the board.

Sandip Lamihchane had the biggest wicket haul with three to his name in the opening phase.

In the second innings, Kenya came in hard to protect their score. Vraj Patel and Lucas Oluoch did the early damage.

Kenya’s opening partnership of Alex Obanda and Collins Obuya who posted a total of 18 runs, got disrupted by Aadil Ansari and Sompal Kami.

Both players restricted the two batsmen impressively before Karim came in to steady the ship as Kenyans spared two wickets at the close of overs.

Nepal captain Sandip Lamihchane was elated with the overall display of his team despite the setback of losing easy wickets earlier on.

“I think we held on firmly and all credit to the boys. Our plan was to take it long but we got helped by the dot balls from the other end. It is a win that gives us confidence going into the other matches,” he said.