Kathmandu, Sept. 9 -- Nepal had got off to a flying start at the ACC Men's Premier Cup, having won their first three matches. All of those fixtures were a cakewalk for the young Nepali squad. On August 31, Nepal bundled out Bahrain for a paltry 87 and chased it down with 29 overs to spare. On September 3, they overcame Malaysia's target of 104 with 28 overs to spare. Three days later, the Rhinos defeated Saudi Arabia by five wickets.

Three wins in three games meant Nepal had already progressed to the semifinals. Therefore, Nepal were not under pressure to win the match against Hong Kong, China. For the latter, however, a victory was a must to qualify for the semis as one of the top two teams from Group A. It was hence expected to be a to...