Jay Trophy: Army leads by 152 runs against Bagmati

Kathmandu, January 8 — In their second match of the two-day cricket tournament "Jay Trophy Men's Elite Cup," Tribhuwan Army Club is leading Bagmati Province by 152 runs after the first innings.

By the end of the first day of the match on Wednesday, Bagmati Province had scored 124 runs for the loss of five wickets in their first innings. They batted for 22 overs in their innings.

For Bagmati Province, Shubha Kansakar made a contribution of 34 runs. He faced 35 balls and hit 1 six and 2 fours.

Uttam Magar scored 28 runs, facing 39 balls, with 2 sixes and 2 fours.

Opener Rit Gautam contributed 21 runs, hitting 5 fours off 17 balls.

Opener Ashutosh Ghiraiya managed only 11 runs before getting out.

By the end of the day’s play, Nandan Yadav remained unbeaten on 18, while Bipin Acharya was also unbeaten on 1.

Army Club’s bowlers Akash Chand claimed 3 wickets, and Sompal Kami took 2 wickets.

Earlier, Tribhuwan Army Club had made a formidable 276 runs in their first innings, facing 60 overs.

According to the competition rules, if a team bats for 60 overs, the innings must be declared as completed.

This score of 276 is the highest score in the current Jay Trophy, surpassing the previous highest of 211 runs scored by Madhesh Province against Bagmati Province in the earlier match.

In the match against Bagmati Province in Janakpur, two Army Club batsmen made excellent half-centuries, which is the first instance in the current competition where two batsmen scored half-centuries in a single innings.

Opener Imran Sheikh made a valuable contribution of 72 runs. The 19-year-old faced 104 balls and hit 11 fours. His half-century came off 76 balls, with the help of 8 fours.

After losing the toss and being invited to bat, Imran Sheikh and Tirta Raj Das opened the innings, adding 103 runs for the first wicket, which is the largest partnership for any wicket in the current Jay Trophy.

Tirta Raj scored 44 runs before being dismissed by Bagmati Province's star leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane at 23.2 overs.

Imran Sheikh and Tirta Raj's partnership became the largest partnership for any wicket in the ongoing competition.

For Army Club, Basir Ahmed also made an unbeaten contribution of 53 runs. Coming in at number five, the 21-year-old faced 64 balls and hit 8 fours. At number seven, Kushal Mall added 35 runs off 43 balls, including 1 six and 4 fours.

At number three, Bhim Sarki contributed 32 runs from 51 balls, hitting 2 sixes and 2 fours.

Army Club’s captain Binod Bhandari did not open his account. Sompal Kami contributed 7 runs.

Bagmati Province’s bowlers Bipin Acharya claimed 3 wickets, and Sandeep Lamichhane took 2 wickets. Army Club also received 33 extra runs, the most so far in the competition.

After all four teams have played one match each, Bagmati Province leads with 15 points, followed by Madhesh Province and Police Club both with the same points in second and third place, respectively.

Army Club is in fourth place with 14 points, despite both of their previous games ending in draws, thanks to bonus points.

The Jay Trophy is one of Nepal’s most prestigious domestic cricket tournaments, organized by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). The competition features four teams, and the initial stage of the tournament is a two-day format.

The final match will be a three-day game, as per CAN’s announcement. The Jay Trophy was named after Jaykumar Nath Shah, the former president of CAN, who started this competition in 1980. For a long time, the Jay Trophy was used as a selection base for the national team.

In the Jay Trophy, players wear white jerseys, and the matches are played with a red ball.

Nepal Police Club is led by captain Arif Sheikh, Bagmati Province is captained by Sandeep Lamichhane, Madhesh Province by Harishankar Sah, and Army Club is captained by Binod Bhandari.