Kathmandu: In a decisive final match of the Tri-nation International T20 Series held in Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea (PNG) emerged victorious over Nepal, securing the series title. The match took place at the Mission Road Cricket Ground in Mong Kok, with PNG defeating Nepal by 86 runs.

Earlier in the series, Nepal secured their spot in the final by defeating PNG in a match held on Tuesday, while a match between Nepal and Hong Kong was called off due to rain. In the subsequent match, PNG secured their place in the final by defeating Hong Kong by 10 wickets.

In today's final match, Nepal, chasing a target of 172 runs set by PNG, was restricted to just 85 runs in 16.3 overs, losing all their wickets. Sundeep Jora was the top scorer for Nepal with 17 runs, followed by Aarif Sheikh with 15 runs and Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel with 12 runs. However, none of the other players managed to score in double digits.

PNG's Kabua Morea, Sese Bau, Chad Soper, and Semo Kame played crucial roles in restricting Nepal's score to below 100 by taking two wickets each, while Alei Nao dismissed one Nepalese batsman.

In response, PNG's Tony Ura led the charge with a half-century, scoring 61 runs off 37 balls, supported by Alei Nao with an unbeaten 30 runs. PNG's strong batting performance ensured their victory, with contributions from Hiri Hiri, Hila Vare, Chad Soper, and Kiplin Doriga.

Nepal's bowling effort was led by Kushal Bhurtel and Akash Chand, who took three wickets each, while Karan KC and Gulsan Jha claimed one wicket each.

Overall, Papua New Guinea's dominant performance secured them the Tri-nation International T20 Series title, leaving Nepal to settle for the second position.