The T20 World Cup is just around the corner, and teams have started their preparation with warm-up matches. Canada and Nepal squared up in the first warm-up match in Dallas, with Canada coming out on top with a thumping 63-run victory over Nepal.
Nicholas Kirton and Ravinderpal Singh help Canada post a hefty total
Nepal won the toss and invited Canada to bat first. Canada didn’t get the start they wanted as they lost Aaron Johnson for just 10 runs, and Rayyan Pathan, who came out to bat at number three, had to retire hurt after playing just one ball due to a hamstring issue. 
Nicholas Kirton paired up with Navneet Dhaliwal, and the duo added 50 runs for the third wicket, with the latter departing for 32 runs off 27 balls. Kirton played with authority throughout the innings and notched up his fifty in the process, departing for 52 runs off 39 balls. However, Canada’s middle-order batters faltered, causing them to decline from 83/2 in the 10th over to 135/7 in the 18th over.
Nepal bowlers pulled things off in the middle overs, but Ravinderpal Singh came out all guns blazing and hammered an unbeaten 41 runs off just 17 balls, helping his side come out of a dire situation and post a hefty 183/7 in 20 overs. Dilon Heyliger contributed with an unbeaten cameo of 13 runs off 7 balls.
Abinash Bohara bagged a couple of wickets for Nepal, while Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Gulsan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Sagar Dhakal shared a wicket apiece.
Nepal batters succumb to Dilon Heyliger’s bowling.
In response to Canada’s 183 runs, Nepal never looked comfortable in the chase as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were skittled for 120 runs in 19.3 overs, losing the match by 63 runs. It was a sorry-looking scorecard for the Asian country, with only the top four batters crossing the double-digit figure. Kushal Malla top scored with 37 runs to his name.
Dilon Heyliger caused devastation with the ball for Canada, grabbing four wickets for 20 runs in 2.3 overs. Jeremy Gordon and Saad Bin Zafar were the other positives for Canada with the ball, claiming two wickets each, while Kaleem Sana and Pargat Singh contributed one wicket to Nepal’s downfall.
Nepal will face co-hosts USA on May 30 in their next warm-up match in Dallas, while Canada will lock horns with the Netherlands on May 31 at the same venue.
