Dhaka: The Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team secured their place in the semifinals of the ACC Asia Cup by defeating Nepal with a five-wicket victory at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the UAE. This win marks their second consecutive triumph in the tournament, having previously defeated Afghanistan by 45 runs in their opening match. According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, following Bangladesh's win over Nepal, Afghanistan suffered another defeat, losing to Sri Lanka by 131 runs. This result confirmed Sri Lanka's advancement to the semifinals alongside Bangladesh. The upcoming match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is now set to determine the group champion. Bangladesh's path to victory appeared straightforward after they dismissed Nepal for a modest total of 141 runs in 45.4 overs. However, the chase was not without challenges. Thanks to the steadfast performance of captain Azizul Hakim Tamim, who remained unbeaten on 52, Bangladesh reached their target in 28.4 overs. Opener Zawad Abrar contribut ed significantly with a team-best score of 59, while the rest of the batting lineup struggled to make an impact, with Farid Hasan's 13 being the third-highest score. The Nepalese bowler Yuvraj Khatri posed a significant threat to Bangladesh's middle order, claiming 4-23. Nevertheless, Tamim's leadership and resilience guided the team through a tense period to achieve their target successfully. Earlier in the match, Bangladesh's bowlers delivered an impressive performance. Al Fahad, Iqbal Hossain Emon, and Rizan Hasan each took two wickets, effectively dismantling Nepal's batting lineup after opting to bowl first. Nepal's opener Akash Tripathi was the top scorer with 43, while Uttam Magar and Abhishek Tiwari both added 29 runs to the total.
