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Kathmandu, June 24 – Nepal registered a commanding 9-wicket victory over Japan in the ACC U-16 East Zone Cup, marking their second consecutive win in the tournament.

Playing at the Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar Oval in Malaysia on Tuesday, Nepal comfortably chased down Japan’s modest target of 81 runs in just 14.2 overs, losing only one wicket in the process.

Shivans Bajgain led the charge with an unbeaten 38 runs, while Prasid Jaisi contributed an unbeaten 33. The duo put on an unbroken 80-run partnership for the second wicket, ensuring a smooth chase for the team. Japan’s only wicket came courtesy of Keishi Kobayashi-Doggett.

Earlier, Japan won the toss and elected to bat first but were bundled out for just 80 runs in 34.3 overs. Skipper Charlie Harahinge top-scored with 36, followed by Gabi Harahinge, who added 13 runs. No other batter managed to reach double figures.

Nepal’s bowling unit put on a clinical display, with Subham Khanal emerging as the standout performer. He took 5 wickets for just 15 runs in his 10-over spell. Abhay Yadav took 2 wickets, while Sushil Bahadur Rawal and captain Bipin Prasad Sharma claimed one wicket each.

With this win, Nepal now sits at the top of Group A with 4 points from two matches. Japan, who had won their first game against Bhutan, remains on 2 points from two matches. In their opening game, Nepal had defeated Singapore.

Nepal will next face Indonesia on Sunday in their third group stage match as they aim to maintain their unbeaten run and secure a spot in the knockout stage.