The Kathmandu Gorkhas were chasing the Janakpur Bolts’ score of 131, and things were looking easy. But in the 9th over, star opener Ben Charlesworth was out. He scored a fast and good 46 runs off 23 balls.
This was a sad moment. Charlesworth looked set to hit his half-century (50 runs), which would have made winning very simple for the Gorkhas. But when he was dismissed, just four runs short, the mood changed completely.
The Game Gets Tougher
The score was 70 for 1 when Charlesworth walked back. His wicket gave the defending champions, Janakpur Bolts, a huge boost of confidence. The Janakpur players celebrated hard because they knew how important that wicket was.
Charlesworth was scoring very quickly, and his fast runs made the game easy. Now that he is out, that easy scoring has stopped. The job of winning now falls to the next players and the one who is already batting.
The Gorkhas need 61 runs from the last 71 balls. The goal is still close, but losing Charlesworth means the other batsmen must now play carefully and finish the job without their best hitter. The Bolts now have a chance to fight back in this first match of NPL Season 2.
