Nepal Red and Nepal Yellow off to winning start in The Core Camp

By Cricketing Country | Posted Posted Apr 27, 2025

Nepal Red and Nepal Yellow registered victories on the opening day of The Core Camp, which got underway on Saturday following the arrival of newly appointed head coach Stuart Law. The Core Camp, featuring four intra-squad teams, is being used as a selection platform ahead of Nepal’s ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 matches against Netherlands and hosts Scotland in June.

At the Upper Mulpani International Cricket Ground, Nepal Red produced a dominant performance, defeating Nepal Blue by 199 runs. Sent in to bat first, Nepal Red posted a mammoth 347 for 5, powered by a brilliant century from Bhim Sharki, who struck 126 off 104 balls, including 13 boundaries and two sixes. Bhim received strong support from Shub Kansakar (73) and Aarif Sheikh (53), with Sheikh dismissed hit-wicket.

Karan KC picked up two wickets for Nepal Blue but was expensive, conceding 64 runs from nine overs. Captain Rohit Paudel, Surya Tamang, and Hemant Dhami also chipped in with a wicket each.

In reply, Nepal Blue collapsed early, losing half their side for just 62 runs inside 12 overs. Pratish GC and Nandan Yadav did the early damage, sharing four wickets. Only four Nepal Blue batters, Kushal Malla (26), Sundeep Jora (25), Prajwal Thapa (24), and Gulshan Jha (14), managed to reach double figures in a total of 148 all out in 31.1 overs.

Pratish GC and Shahab Alam bagged three wickets each, while captain Sandeep Lamichhane picked up two, and Nandan Yadav took one.

Meanwhile, at the Lower Mulpani International Cricket Ground, Nepal Yellow edged out Nepal Green by 17 runs in a low-scoring contest. Opting to bowl first, Nepal Green restricted Nepal Yellow to 196 in 46 overs, with left-arm spinners Santosh Yadav and Sagar Dhakal sharing six wickets between them. Sompal Kami and Rashid Khan also picked up two wickets each.

Rupesh Singh top-scored for Nepal Yellow with a vital 57 off 61 balls at No.8, striking four sixes and three boundaries. Sujan Thapaliya played a steady hand with 30 off 50 balls, while Kushal Bhurtel contributed 44 at the top of the order.

Chasing 197, Nepal Green struggled to build partnerships despite several starts. Dilip Nath (39), Arjun Kumal (30), Aakash Tripathi (27), Bibek Yadav (20), and Sompal Kami (20) all got in but failed to convert. Nepal Green were eventually restricted to 179 for 9 in 43.2 overs, with Santosh Yadav unable to bat after being retired hurt on one.

Kamal Singh Airee led the bowling for Nepal Yellow with 3 for 23 from 6.2 overs. Rupesh Singh, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Dipendra Singh Airee claimed two wickets each, while Kushal Bhurtel chipped in with one.