Following two defeats in their opening two games, Nepal won their first match at the U-19 World Cup 2024, defeating Afghanistan in an exciting match that took place on Friday, January 26 at Buffalo Park, East London, during Match 19. Nep, chasing a goal of 146, lost their ninth wicket with two runs needed to win, tipping the balance of the match in their favour. But Nepal won by one wicket thanks to a boundary from Subash Bhandari on the fourth delivery of the 45th over, which helped his team over the finish line.
Consequently, Nep achieved another one of their exciting victories, to which they have now grown accustomed in both senior and junior cricket leagues. As a result, they are renownedly referred to as “Cardiac Kids,” a word that designates a sports team that frequently finds itself in risky circumstances.
It also speaks to their resilience and “never say die” mentality, which enable them to record sensational victory after exciting victory and keep their supporters on the edge of their seats. The word “cardiac” refers to the wide range of feelings that spectators go through during these close games.
“Cardiac Kids Nepal” is a representation of the Nep Cricket Team and their reputation for thrilling moments and stunning comebacks, according to their official website.
For Nepal U19, Captain Dev Khanal was a standout batsman.
Returning to the Nep vs. Afghanistan U19 match, Afghanistan was reduced to 43/6 after 11.3 overs after they won the toss and chose to bat first. Their team reached 145 thanks to crucial strikes from Naseer Khan Maroofkhil (31 off 83), Allah Ghazanfar (37 off 21), and Faridoon Dawoodzai (29 off 65). Nepal’s Aakash Chand was outstanding with the ball, earning 5/34 in eight overs.
After 8.1 overs, Nepal was down to 24/3 in response, but captain Dev Khanal’s half-century (58 off 89) brought the innings back into balance. Alongside him, Dipak Bohara (27 off 42) contributed significantly as well, taking his team just six runs short of victory with two wickets remaining. Subash Bhandari completed the task and enabled his team to win the competition for the first time.
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