Aakash Chand took a crucial five-wicket haul and captain Dev Khanal cracked a half-century as Nepal stunned Afghanistan by one wicket in a thrilling battle at the Buffalo Park in East London, South Africa to progress into the Super Six stage of the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup on Friday.

Pacer Chand took 5-34 to restrict Afghanistan at 145 all out before Khanal scored a gritty 58 to lead Nepal to victory.

The win helped Nepal pip Afghanistan to the third spot in Group D and secure a place in the next round, where Khanal’s team will face familiar foes India and Bangladesh.

Top three teams from each group progress to the 12-team Super Six, where top teams from Group A and Group D will be combined in Super Six Group 1, while Super Six Group 2 will have the top three teams each from Group B and Group C. The teams will carry forward the points, wins, net run rate they have earned against their fellow super-six qualifying teams—meaning Nepal will need to win both their Super Six matches to qualify for the semis.

The top two teams from each group in the Super Six will progress to the semi-finals.

Nepal were under pressure to deliver after losing their opening matches against New Zealand and Pakistan. Afghanistan also needed a victory to advance following a pair of losses.

Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first but started terribly when Gulsan Jha removed Numan Shah for a duck in the first over.

After Shah departed, it was all Chand as the seamer ripped apart the Afghanistan top and middle-order, completing his five-wicket haul within 33 balls that included the wickets of Khalid Taniwal (0), opener Jamshid Zadran (3), Sohail Khan Zurmati (4), Ali Ahmad (0) and Hassan Eisakhil (20)—leaving Afghanistan reeling at 43-6 inside the first 12 overs.

Chand’s most important wicket was Eisakhil (20) who hit four boundaries but got caught by Dipak Bohara in the 11.3 overs while chipping a delivery straight to mid-off.

Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (37 runs off 21 balls) got Afghanistan back in the game scoring four boundaries and three sixes to take his side near the 100-run mark but Tilak Bhandari ended his blitz in the 18th over.

Dipesh Kandel did further damage by trapping Arab Gul leg before as Afghanistan were in serious trouble at 88-8.

Captain Naseer Khan Maroofkhil (31) and Faridoon Dawoodzai (29) staged a fightback with an important 55-run stand for the ninth wicket.

But Kandel struck again to halt the progress, fishing out Naseer before Bhandari got the last wicket of Dawoodzai in the 40.1 over to bowl out Afghanistan for 145.

Nepal’s Dev Khanal plays a shot during the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan in East London, South Africa on Friday Photo: Courtesy of ICC
Despite the low target, the chase was no cakewalk for Nepal, as they too started poorly and were in serious trouble at 24-3 in the first power play after Dawoodzai dispatched Arjun Kumal for 10 and Khalil Ahmed struck twice to remove senior man Jha for a cheap one and Bipin Rawal for two.

Nepal could have gotten into serious trouble in the 8th over had Ghazanfar not dropped Khanal.

Khanal then punished Afghanistan with a half-century to lay the foundation for Nepal’s victory.

Khanal and Aakash Tripathi stayed solid and rebuilt the innings with a crucial 49-run partnership for the fourth wicket to take Nepal halfway.

Maroofkhil ended their resistance, removing Tripathi (16) in the 24th over.

Khanal stayed firm but Gul and Maroofkhil gave Nepal a big blow by taking two quick wickets, removing Deepak Dumre (5) and Dipesh Kandel (4) inside six deliveries.

Ghazanfar then took the inning’s most prized wicket of Khanal at 36.3 overs. Khanal scored seven boundaries.

The match turned to a nail-biter when Dawoodzai packed Bohara (27)—who had helped Khanal rebuild Nepal innings with 27 runs off 42 balls—and Chand (1) with Nepal at 144-9.

Bhandari then kept his cool and smashed a four of Gul in the fourth ball of the 45th over to guide Nepal to 149-9 and a remarkable victory.

“I had faith in the lower order because they had contributed in the previous game as well. They delivered and gave us the win,” captain Khanal said after the match.

“I am definitely proud of the character shown by the boys. It’s a proud moment for all of us,” he added.

This is the third time Nepal have progressed out of the group stage in the U-19 World Cup. They had made it to the Super League stage of the 2016 World Cup in Bangladesh and the 2000 edition in Sri Lanka.

“I was very nervous in the final moments but we held our nerve and were able to win. It is a big moment for us because we have qualified to the Super Six for the first time since 2016,” player-of-the-match Chand said.

Nepal are appearing at the U-19 World Cup for the first time in eight years. This is Nepal’s eight appearance in the tournament after making their debut in 2000.

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