JPN vs NEP Ball by Ball Commentary

No run, the off drive is played but it is stopped.

No run. Swing and a miss! The batter swings hard at that one but does not connect.

18 runs and a wicket off Jake's first international over. Quite an eventful one as well. Dishes out a low full toss, outside off and Malla drills it down to long off for a single to open his account.

OUT! CAUGHT! Jake Kusuda-Nairn breaks the 55-run stand and gets his maiden T20I wicket and his joy knows no bounds. A flighted leg-break is tossed wide outside off, and Aasif bends his back leg before throwing his hands at it to hit it over covers. But he gets a thick outside edge that flies towards short third, where Ibrahim Takahashi takes a straightforward reverse-cup catch. Nepal are 62/2 in 6.5 overs.

A bit sloppy in the field there. A fuller delivery on the stumps, Aasif nudges it towards long on and takes a single. A wild throw comes back to the bowler's end, where Jake cannot gather it cleanly. The ball deflects off his left leg and rolls towards the leg side, allowing the batters to steal another run.

SIX! Gleefully accepted by Aasif. Juicy full toss on the leg stump. Aasif Sheikh collapses his back knee into the pitch and nails the slog sweep powerfully over deep mid-wicket for a cracking six. Makes the most of the Free Hit, does Sheikh.

Dear me! It is another No Ball for as Jake Kusuda-Nairn has overstepped once again. And this is a big one. Flighted up full and outside off, Aasif tries to fetch it and goes for a slog sweep but misses.

No Ball for overstepping! This hasn't been an ideal start for the debutant. Free Hit up next. A good-length delivery down the leg side, and Aasif misses his sweep. The keeper cannot gather it cleanly, allowing two byes as the ball rolls behind to deep fine leg.

Shortish and outside off, turning away, Jora rocks back and cuts it late between short third and backward point. Charlie from the former position dives full-stretch to his right and manages to get a hand on it. The ball is parried behind but it takes the sting out of it and is chased down by the backward point fielder. Three runs taken. The 50 comes up for Nepal. In 6.2 overs.

FOUR! A bit of a loosener to start from Jake. Full but drifting down leg. Jora sits down on his knee and sweeps it firmly behind square on the leg side and in the gap for a boundary.

In the air but safe! Slightly short and outside off, with decent turn and bounce. Aasif goes for a sweep but gets a top edge that flies over the short fine leg fielder for two more runs.

Pushed through, full and around off, Jora gets down on his knee to play the slog sweep but loses his shape as he tries to hit it too hard and the ball squirts off the bottom edge and rolls down through mid on for a single.

Spins in very sharply on a good length, from off to leg. Sundeep Jora hangs back and tucks it to short mid-wicket.

Short and flat, wide outside off, Jora reaches out and guides it to the left of short third for a couple of runs.

SIX! Into the stands! A juicy half-volley, on middle and leg, Sundeep Jora clears the front leg to make room and absolutely launches it over wide long on for a huge six.

Flighted ball that drifts down leg, Jora goes for a reverse sweep but misses.

WIDE! Spins away, full and beyond the tramline. Jora looks to drive but misses.

Another piece of good running. Good length, angled on the pads, this is nudged off the back foot and wide of mid-wicket for a couple of runs.

WIDE! Shapes away from a length, beyond the tramline. Aasif has a play and miss.

Short and straight, Aasif tries to work it towards the leg side but it catches the shoulder of the bat and trickles through to backward point.

Oh, this one comes in a touch, on a good length, Aarif Sheikh waits back and blocks it down the pitch.

Sensational fielding in the deep! Short and wide again, Aasif throws his hands at it and cuts aerially behind square on the off side. Charlie Hara-Hinze, stationed in the backward point region, times his leap perfectly and gets both hands to the ball. He manages to release it back into play before crossing the rope, saving a certain boundary for his side.

TOP EDGE AND FOUR! Not convincing at all. Slammed short and outside off, Aasif swivels into the pull but gets a massive top edge that sails over short fine leg. The fielder gives it a chase from the ring, but the ball wins the race.

That just took off from the surface. Even Shoma is a bit surprised to see that excessive lift. Bangs it short and outside off. It perhaps lands on one of the cracks and just springs from the deck. Aasif hangs back for the square cut, only to miss.

Pitched short and turning away, outside off, Sundeep cuts it in the gap between cover point and cover for a quick couple of runs. 12 runs off the over.

FOUR! Off the edge! Serves it fractionally full on the off stump. It turns with a bit of bounce as well. Sundeep Jora goes back for the cut shot but gets a thick outside edge. Luckily for him, the ball flies over the first slip fielder for a boundary.

Not that full, outside off. No footwork from Jora, who hangs his bat away from his body and the ball zips past the outside edge.

SIX! High and handsome! Slows it up through the air, does Charlie. Lands it full and outside the off stump. Jora gets underneath it nicely and pumps it down the ground for a massive six. The first biggie of the game and the Nepalese fans are up and about.

Around off on a fullish length, Sundeep Jora again tries to play the sweep shot by getting a bit across, but gets undone by the turn and bounce off the pitch and is hit on the helmet.

Slightly full, outside off. Sundeep Jora gets low on a knee for the sweep shot but the ball lands, bounces and spins away to beat him.

Full and speared on the leg stump, Sundeep pushes it wide of mid on for a quick single.

Beauty! Angles in and then seams it away from the right-hander, full and in the channel. Sundeep Jora plays the initial line and goes for a drive to the off side but gets beaten all ends up.

The length is pulled back, outside off, Aasif knocks it wide of cover-point for a single.

Full and outside off, moving away a bit, this is driven firmly through covers for a single.

OUT! EDGED AND CAUGHT BEHIND! Bhurtel keeps flirting with danger and eventually gets consumed. Reo slams it on a good length, outside the off stump and gets the ball to shape away a bit. Kushal Bhurtel throws his bat at it to access the off side, but does not move his feet and gets a thick outside edge behind to the keeper who makes no mistake. Japan have their first wicket already and Nepal are 7/1.

Good-length delivery, outside off, Aasif stretches forward and steers it through backward point for a single.

WIDE! Down the leg stump, a bit too straight, Aasif misses the tickle and it is called a wide.

Good flight and turn on this one. Full, outside off, Kushal Bhurtel tries to smash it through covers, only to get beaten on the outside edge.

Quicker through the air, full and outside off, Kushal Bhurtel drives it along the ground and wide of long off for a couple of runs. Excellent running between the wickets and the Nepalese fans at the venue give a loud cheer for that.

Beaten again! Slides in and then spins away, full and outside the off stump. Kushal Bhurtel pushes at it to drive it away but fails to get any connection.

Full and around the off stump, Bhurtel drives it to covers.

Swing and a miss! Tossed up, fuller and outside off, spinning away, Kushal Bhurtel goes for an expansive cover drive, but misses.

Drifts in, short on middle, Sheikh hangs back and knocks it to the right of the bowler and they dash through for a single.

Very full and outside off, Kushal looks to drive it straight, but the ball moves away from him and beats the bat. A disciplined start by Reo.

Slightly fuller than the previous ball, around off, Kushal blocks it solidly.

Beaten! Hits the deck hard, outside off, Kushal Bhurtel loosely dangles the bat away from his body and is beaten on the outside edge as the ball shapes away late. Good carry to the keeper.

Good length, on the leg stump, Kushal tucks it to deep square leg for a couple of runs to get himself and Nepal off the mark.

Swinging away now, outside off, left alone by Bhurtel.

Starts with a back-of-a-length delivery, going straight on middle, Kushal watchfully bunts it down the pitch.