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Hayat's Unbeaten 117 Powers Hong Kong to 261 in Must-Win Nepal Clash

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Hayat's Unbeaten 117 Powers Hong Kong to 261 in Must-Win Nepal Clash
Photo: Photo: Courtesy of Cricket Association of Nepal/Facebook

Babar Hayat crafted an unbeaten 117 to guide Hong Kong to 261 for seven against Nepal in their decisive final group match of the ACC Men's Premier Cup at Bayuemas Cricket Oval in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. After choosing to bat first, Hong Kong slumped to 133 for seven, but Hayat combined with Ehsan Khan in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 128 runs off 115 balls to rebuild the innings and set a competitive target. Hayat, who faced 126 deliveries, struck seven fours and seven sixes on his way to his century. He briefly left the field due to injury during his innings but returned to bat on. He brought up his hundred in dramatic fashion during the final over, striking Gulshan Jha for a boundary followed by a six off successive deliveries. Khan finished not out on 35 from 46 balls, including five fours. Nepal's spin duo had earlier put Hong Kong under pressure. Sandeep Lamichhane picked up four wickets for 44 runs in his 10 overs, while Sher Malla took three for 27. Malla removed both openers early, dismissing Anshuman Rath for 13 and Zeeshan Ali for 15. Lamichhane accounted for Kalhan Challu, who scored nine, while Kinchit Devang Shah was stumped for a duck. Captain Yasim Murtaza fell for five and Aizaz Khan for nine, both victims of Lamichhane. Shahid Wasif offered some resistance with 45 runs from 49 balls, hitting seven boundaries, before being dismissed by Malla. Nepal's pace bowlers were unable to stem the late surge, with Karan KC conceding 62 runs in seven wicketless overs and Jha leaking 40 runs in three overs. The result carries significant weight for the tournament standings. Nepal have already booked their semi-final berth after three consecutive victories and can top Group A with a win over Hong Kong. Hong Kong must win to keep their semi-final hopes alive, currently sitting on four points from three matches — level with Malaysia, who have finished all four group fixtures but lead on net run rate. Should Hong Kong lose, Malaysia would advance instead.

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