Kathmandu: Nepal endured their second consecutive loss in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after a heavy 10-wicket defeat against Italy on Wednesday.
Chasing a modest target of 124 runs, Italy comfortably reached 124 without losing a wicket in just 12.4 overs. The Italian openers, Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca, produced a dominant unbeaten partnership to seal the victory. Justin scored an unbeaten 60 off 44 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes, while Anthony smashed 62 not out, including three fours and six sixes. Nepal’s bowlers struggled throughout the innings and failed to take a single wicket.
Earlier, Nepal, after losing the toss, were sent in to bat at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The team was bowled out for 123 runs in 19.3 overs.
Arif Sheikh top-scored with 27 runs, while captain Rohit Paudel contributed 23 and Aasif Sheikh added 20. Dipendra Singh Airee made 17 runs, and Karan KC remained unbeaten on 18. However, the rest of the batting lineup failed to make significant contributions. Kushal Bhurtel managed just 5 runs, Lokesh Bam and Gulshan Jha scored 3 runs each, and Nandan Yadav was dismissed without opening his account.
For Italy, Krishan Kalugamage picked up three wickets, while Ben Manenti claimed two. Ali Hasan, JJ Smuts, and Jasprit Singh took one wicket each to restrict Nepal to a below-par total.
Nepal had earlier suffered a narrow four-run defeat against England. With back-to-back losses, Nepal remains without a point in the tournament.
