KATHMANDU, Fe 8: A four-wicket haul by Nepal's cricket captain Rohit Kumar Poudel helped the hosts defeat Canada by seven runs in the first ODI match between the two countries held at the Tribhuvan University (TU) Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Invited to bat first after losing the toss, Nepal gave a moderate target of 225 runs to Canada but the latter was limited to 217 runs. Canada gathered 217 runs by losing all wickets in 47.5 overs.
For Canada, Nicolas Kirtan made 68 runs while Pragat Singh and Harsha Thakar contributed 50 runs and 32 runs, respectively.
SMS Friendship Cup: Nepal beats Baroda by 27 runs
For Nepal's victory, captain Paudel alone took four wickets of Canada while Lalit Rajbanshi took two wickets. With the win, Nepal leads the the One Day International (ODI) Cricket Series against Canada 1-0.
Earlier, Nepal's Kushal Bhurtel contributed the highest 62 runs with nine fours and one six.
Nepal is playing a three-match ODI series against Canada ahead of the upcoming ICC Cricket League-2 to be played between Namibia and the Netherlands.
The second match between Nepal and Canada is scheduled for February 10. -- RSS
