Nary Thapa Magar, Nepal’s first captain, retires from cricket

Nepal: Nary Thapa Magar, the first captain of Nepal national women’s cricket team, has called time on her cricket career.

 

photo: Nary Thapa Magar

“Today I'm announcing my retirement from the national/international women’s cricket team. It was a great 17 years of incredible journey with a lot of upside and downside in my cricket career,” Thapa Magar wrote on her Facebook page.

 

"Retirement from the game but not from the memories…I thank all of them who supported me and motivated me in my journey. I especially thank my family who always supported me through my journey….Thank you all,” she added.

 

Thapa Magar captained Nepal in their first-ever international tournament in July 2007 during the ACC Women’s tournament at Johor, Malaysia, where Nepal reached the final but lost to Bangladesh.

 

She also captained Nepal to the semi-finals at the 2009 and 2011 ACC Women's Twenty20 Championship.

 

Thapa Magar also led Nepal consecutive ACC U-19 Women’s Championship titles in 2008 and 2010.

 

Thapa Magar had a successful career as a bowler. A left-arm fast medium bowler, Thapa Magar represented Nepal in 11 Women’s T20I matches after the International Cricket Council granted full Women’s T20I status to Nepal in April 2018. She has taken 17 T20I wickets.

 

She was also a part of the Nepal squad that played their first ever WT20I match, against China, in Bangkok on January 12, 2019. Nepal won the match by 10 wickets.

 

Thapa Magar, who represented Nepal for 12 years since 2007, had been playing for the Armed Police Force Club in domestic tournaments.

 

“Happy Retirement, Nary Thapa,” Cricket Association of Nepal wrote on its Facebook page. “Farewell to our first Nepal women’s team captain. We extend a heartfelt gratitude for her 17 years of service to Nepal Women’s Cricket and for inspiring a young generation of cricketers.”

 

 

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Nepal face PNG in Hong Kong T20I series final

 

Nepal: An all round show from Kushal Bhurtel helped Nepal defeat Papua New Guinea by 85 runs and enter into the final of the Hong Kong T20I Series in Mong Kok, Hong Kong on Tuesday.

 

Nepal, invited to bat first, posted 198-6 in the allotted 20 overs after opener Bhurtel and Sundeep Jora scored half-centuries.

 

Bhurtel then took 4-12 in his magical four-over spell to restrict PNG to 133 all out in 16.1 overs.

 

Bhurtel smashed 59 runs off 39 balls, hitting four boundaries and four sixes. Bhurtel also became the second Nepali batter to cross the 1000-run mark in the T20Is.

 

The 27-year-old completed his eighth T20I fifty with a stylish six off Jack Gardener in the 12.4 overs and reached the landmark a ball later. Bhurtel then slammed another six to Norman Vanua to accumulate 1008 T20I runs before getting caught by John Kariko in the 14.3 overs.

 

Bhurtel has played 36 T20I matches for Nepal since making his debut in April, 2021 during the Nepal Tri-Nation T20I Series against the Netherlands.

 

Dipendra Singh Airee, who has been rested for the Hong Kong series, tops the chart of most T20I runs with 1476 runs. Airee reached his 1000-run mark from 34 innings during the Nepal Tri-Nation T20I Series final against PNG in April 2022.

 

Bhurtel added 64 runs for the opening wicket with Binod Bhandari (27) to give Nepal a strong start.

 

Nepal lost three quick wickets of Bhandari, skipper Rohit Paudel (1) and Aarif Sheikh (4) adding just three runs and were in trouble at 70-3 in the 10th over.

 

But Jora played a crucial knock of 26-ball 56 that featured three fours and four maximums to steady the ship. It was Jora’s second T20I half-century.

 

Lokesh Bam added 14 and Gulsan Jha contributed 19 not out before Bibek Yadav cracked three sixes off Vanua in the final over to guide Nepal to a big total.

 

Assad Vala took two wickets, while Nosaina Pokana, Kariko and Vanua picked a wicket apiece for PNG.

 

In reply, PNG plundered 32 runs in three overs to make an aggressive start to their chase.

 

But they soon ran out of gas.

 

Pratis GC (2-40) bowled Tony Ura for 13 in the last delivery of the third over to break their opening stand and Sese Bau followed Ura adding 21 runs three balls later after Bhandari stumped him.

 

Bhurtel got his first wicket of the innings dispatching captain Vala in the 17.5 overs.

 

Hiri Hiri, who had hit Karan KC with a six and four to make an explosive start to his innings, joined the dugout three balls later after GC checked him on 28 in the 9th over.

 

PNG were already reeling at 89-5 inside 11 overs and plunged into further trouble when they lost three wickets in successive deliveries.

 

Aakash Chand first got rid of Charles Amini (9) in the 10.6 overs before Bhurtel dismissed Lega Siaka (5) and Vanua (0).

 

Bhurtel then completed his four-wicket haul taking the wicket of Kiplin Doriga in the 14th over.

 

The target was already out of sight for PNG, who then lost the wickets of Pokana (12) and Kariko to surrender the match.

 

Nepal will retake PNG in the final after Vala’s men quickly forgot the pain and secured their spot in the title match, thrashing hosts Hong Kong by 10 wickets in their second T20I of the day.

 

A batting failure saw Hong Kong manage 121 all out in 18.3 overs, with Zeeshan Ali’s unconquered half-century providing their highest individual score. Ali scored 55 runs facing 29 deliveries.

 

Nasrulla Rana (16) and Ehsan Khan (16) were the second highest scorers of Hong Kong innings.

 

Kabua Morea, Alei Nao, Vala and Bau took two wickets each for PNG.

 

In the run chase, Ura and Bau scored unbeaten half centuries to overhaul the 122-run target in 12.4 overs.

 

Nepal progressed into the final as group winners with three points. Their opening match against Hong Kong was washed out by the rain.

 

PNG finished the group in second position with two points.

 

Winless Hong Kong remained third with one point.

 

The final will be played on Wednesday.

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Nepal: Nepal defeated Ireland Wolves by 71 runs in the second T20 and claimed the two-match series 2-0 at the TU Cricket Ground on Tuesday, thanks to their charismatic batting that is finally starting to click again.

 

A combined effort from their batting order helped the Rhinos rack up 198-7 from their 20 overs that saw seven batters contribute in double digits.

 

Nepal’s bowling was equally outstanding as Kushal Malla and Sompal Kami took three wickets each to restrict the tourists to 127 all out in 18.3 overs.

 

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh made a feisty start adding 34 runs from the first three overs.

 

After Sheikh departed scoring 11 runs off nine balls—caught behind off Matthew Foster (3-42)—Nepal had a brief slump, losing the quick wickets of Bhurtel (25 runs off 16 balls) to Foster and Anil Sah (12 runs off 11 balls) to Finon Hand.

 

But captain Rohit Paudel and Gulsan Jha put on an eye-catching 71-run stand for the fourth wicket to rebuild the Nepal innings.

 

Jha smashed 46 runs off 32 balls before Ben White (2-40) had him caught by Wolves skipper Neil Rock in the 13.5 overs.

 

Paudel made 33 runs facing 24 deliveries and fell to Gavin Hoey in the 16th over.

 

Malla then stole the show in Kirtipur hammering 34 runs from 13 balls and Sundeep Jora played a quickfire 10 ball-21 to guide Nepal to a big total.

 

In reply, the Wolves made a bright start to their chase scoring 43 runs off the first 29 balls.

 

But they ran out of gas after Kami dispatched opener and wicketkeeper Stephen Doheny (26 off 13 balls) and Malla removed Ross Adir (17 off 19 balls) in the space of three balls.

 

The Nepali bowlers then turned the screw on the Irish batters, preventing them from forming a significant partnership as Cade Carmichael (18), Morgan Topping (21), skipper Rock (17) and Gareth Delany (15) all departed.

 

Kami then cleaned up the tail to give Nepal a comprehensive victory.

 

Malla took 3-15, while Kami returned the match figures of 3-17. Karan KC, Bhurtel and Bibek Yadav also picked a wicket each.

 

The victory is a welcome boost for Monty Desai’s side after a below-average performance against the Netherlands and Namibia in the home tri-series of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 and Tri-Nation T20I Series, followed by another below-par show in Hong Kong.

 

Nepal will now travel to India to participate in the SMS Friendship Cup involving state teams of Gujarat and Baroda at Vapi, Gujarat.

 

But their focus will be on the 2024 ACC Men’s T20 Premier Cup, which begins in April.

 

Nepal will then head for the United States and the West Indies to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup—their only second appearance in the global showpiece and first since ICC World T20 in Bangladesh in 2014.

 

The Wolves will play three T20s and three ODs against Nepal A, from March 28 to April 7, before returning home.