Nepal U-19 Women Beat Hong Kong by 92 Runs in China

Nepal's Under-19 women's team made it two wins from three matches at the Belt and Road Series in China, bowling Hong Kong out for 54 to seal a 92-run victory in Taicang on Thursday, November 5.

Pakhrin Leads Nepal to 146 After Hong Kong Win the Toss

Nepal lost the toss at the Shaxi Town Cricket Centre in Taicang and were sent in to bat, but captain Sony Pakhrin made sure the innings kept its shape. Pakhrin struck 44 from 28 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes, and opener Sabitri Dhami added a brisk 36 from 26 balls as Nepal reached 146 all out in 19.5 overs.

Trishna BK scored 12 and Rachana Chaudhary 11, while Angela Pathak finished unbeaten on 13, and those small contributions mattered on a day when no other batter passed 13. Hong Kong's Storm Park took three wickets to keep Nepal from a bigger total, but 146 still set Hong Kong a stiff target of 147.

The win came in Nepal's third match of the Belt and Road Series, the four-team Under-19 event running in Taicang from November 3 to 8, and it kept Nepal unbeaten in completed matches in China.

Chaudhary Duo Dismantle Hong Kong for 54

Hong Kong's chase never got going. Chasing 147, they were bowled out for just 54 in 18 overs, with Wang Tun So and Man Kei Leung the only batters to reach double figures, each scoring 12.

Manisha Chaudhary and Rachana Chaudhary did the damage, taking three wickets each, while Sakshi Yadav claimed two, and the rest of the attack kept the pressure on so that no partnership could form. Hong Kong lost wickets at regular intervals and never found a batter to hold the innings together. Hong Kong were bowled out with 12 balls of their innings unused.

Pakhrin was named player of the match for her 44, the award capping a day on which the captain led with the bat and then watched her bowlers finish the job.

What the Win Means for Nepal's World Cup Build-Up

The margin matters as much as the result. A 92-run win, built on a captain's innings and shared bowling wickets rather than one star turn, is exactly the kind of performance this tour was designed to produce. Nepal are in China to prepare for the 2027 ICC Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup, which Nepal will co-host, and every match in Taicang is a rehearsal for a home tournament where this age group will carry real expectation. Nepal's World Cup group-stage games will all be played at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.

Pakhrin's form is the clearest positive. She has tormented this opposition before: in July's ACC U-19 Women's Premier Cup in Chittagong, she made 90 from 60 balls and took four wickets for four runs as Nepal beat Hong Kong by 181 runs. That she is producing again, this time as captain in a different tournament and a different country, suggests the performance is a habit rather than a one-off.

The bowling depth is the other encouraging sign. Three wickets each for the two Chaudharys and two for Yadav meant the wickets were shared, and Hong Kong's total of 54 — with only two batters in double figures — shows an attack that can defend a modest total. Nepal's 146 was not a big score; the bowlers made it look like one. The batting after the openers still needs runs, though: beyond Pakhrin and Dhami, only Trishna BK (12), Rachana Chaudhary (11) and Pathak's unbeaten 13 reached double figures, so the middle order will want more from the remaining games.

There is also a bigger calendar behind this week. After Taicang, Nepal travel to Bangalore for a tri-series at the Centre of Excellence against India A and India B Under-19 sides, the second half of a November that the Cricket Association of Nepal has set out as the final major preparation window before the World Cup. Two strong weeks abroad would send this squad home with momentum and, just as importantly, with a settled combination for the tournament Nepal will host.

Back home, the senior game is in full flow, with the NPL Season 3 schedule running at Kirtipur while this young side builds abroad. The women's win is also the latest headline in a busy week of Nepal cricket news, and it continues a busy month for Nepal's age-group sides, with the men's Under-19 Asia Cup squad named earlier this week.

Nepal's Remaining Fixtures in Taicang

Nepal's fourth match is against Thailand on Friday, November 6, the side they beat in their tournament opener on November 3. China follow on Saturday, November 7, and Hong Kong again on Sunday, November 8, closing the double round-robin in which each of the four teams plays the others twice.

The format is simple: the team finishing top of the points table wins the title, with no final. That makes every margin count, and Nepal's 92-run win is useful currency if the table tightens. Nepal's second match, against hosts China on November 4, was abandoned because of rain, so the young side have two wins and one no-result from three scheduled games. Fans can follow every result through live scores as the double round-robin unfolds.

The series is the second edition of the Under-19 Belt and Road event after the inaugural tournament in 2019, and it is the first of two November assignments for Nepal, who then travel to Bangalore for a tri-series at the Centre of Excellence. Once the Bangalore series ends, the World Cup will be less than three months away, and Nepal's group-stage games at Kirtipur will put this young side in front of a home crowd. The Cricket Association of Nepal organised a farewell programme in Kathmandu on November 2 for the 15-member squad, where Pakhrin said the players were well prepared and confident of a strong performance. Three matches in, that confidence looks well placed.