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World Twenty20: Afghanistan vs Nepal – As it happened...

Live updates from the ninth match of 2014 ICC World Twenty20, between Afghanistan vs Nepal being played at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong.

Zee Media Bureau/Chaitan Papnai
SCORECARD» | COMMENTARY» | MATCH REPORT» ============================================================== Afghanistan Innings Over 20 || Score 132/8 Asghar Stanikzai's whirlwind knock of 49 runs (36 balls) went in vain as eventually Afghanistan failed to chase the total of 142 runs set by Nepal. Nepal won the match by nine runs. The match went till the very end but it was the middle order collapse which proved as the turning point of the match. Asghar Stanikzai c Malla b Sompal Kami 49 (36b) ===================================================Over 15 || Score 89/6 Shafiqullah's fine knock also came to an end as Regmi got the better of him in the 15th over. He scored 36 runs in 32 balls before getting out. Now all the hopes of Afghanistan are on Asghar Stanikzai who is unbeaten on 25. Afghanistan need 53 runs off 30 balls to seal the match. So the match is heading towards an exciting finish. Shafiqullah c Sagar Pun b Regmi 36 (32b ) =================================================== Over 10 || Score 56/5 Afghanistan are loosing wickets at regular intervals. And in the last five overs they lost two more wickets in the form of Nawroz Mangal and Mohammad Nabi, both got out cheaply. Once again Afghanistan are facing the same problem – batting collapse. Meanwhile, they crossed the mark of 50 runs but Nepal still have a strong grip over the match. Mohammad Nabi lbw b Gauchan 1 (2b ) Nawroz Mangal c Khadka b Gauchan 5 (7b) =================================================== Over 5 || Score 21/3 Afghanistan have got off to a poor start while chasing the total of 142 runs. In the first five overs they lost both their openers and then another top order batsman in Najibullah Zadran. Afghanistan are certainly at the back-foot and need some good partnerships and a few lusty blows to win this match. Najibullah Zadran c Vesawkar b Mukhiya 5 (4b) Mohammad Shahzad c Sompal Kami b Mukhiya 6 (17b) Karim Sadiq b Sompal Kami 8 (7b) =================================================== Nepal Innings Over 20 || Score 141/5 Afghanistan skipper, Mohammad Nabi bowled a superb last over – conceding only six runs, to keep the Nepal innings under 150. All-in-all, it has been a satisfactory batting performance from the Nepal outfit. When they take field after the innings break, the onus will be on their bowlers to contain the Afghanistan batsmen and register a win. For the Afghan side, it could have been a much smaller target had they took all the chances. =================================================== Over 19 || Score 135/5 A double strike from Shapoor Zadran in the penultimate over helped Afghanistan reigned in Nepal. For Nepal, Subash Khakurel played a crucial innings and kept the innings together. Sharad Vesawkar c Mohammad Shahzad b Shapoor Zadran 37 (32b) Subash Khakurel c Asghar Stanikzai b Shapoor Zadran 56 (53b) =================================================== Over 15 || Score 111/3 An unbeaten sixth wicket partnership between Sharad Vesawkar and Subash Khakurel helped Nepal regroup from a spot of bother. With five overs still left in the innings, the player from the Himalayan Kingdom can hope to post a fighting total, to give their bowlers a chance to defend. =================================================== Chittagong: The stats time has arrived. With mathematical chances of making it to the next stage of the competition still there, today`s match-up between Afghanistan and Nepal will be of utmost importance for either side. Even though, hosts Bangladesh are in a prime position to proceed to the Super 10 having already won both their matches with bigger margins, these two Associate teams will still need to give their best in the match. Because, Hong Kong can still shock Bangladesh, and may well do a favour to their `non-member` fellow teams. The Bangladesh-Hong Kong match will be held later in the evening, after the Afghanistan-Nepal match. In such a scenario, with two teams (Bangladesh and Afghanistan/Nepal) on four points each, net run rate will decide who goes into the next round. So, expect a fierce competition.