Heyliger, Kirton lead Canada to warm-up win against Nepal

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

FORMER GUYANA Under-19 pacer Dillon Heyliger followed up solid batting, led by former Barbados Pride batsman Nicholas Kirton, with a destructive spell that propelled Canada to a 63-run win against Nepal in an official ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup warm-up match on Monday.

Heyliger, 34, grabbed four for 20 from 2.3 overs, and fellow Guyana-born pacer Jeremy Gordon took two for 25 from his allotted four overs, as Nepal failed to successfully chase a target of 184 in the match at the Grand Prairie Stadium in the American city of Dallas in the state of Texas.

Kushal Malla hit the top score of 37 for the Nepalese, Anil Sah made 24, and Aasif Sheikh got 22, but they never mounted a serious challenge after losing three wickets for five in the span of 13 balls to be 62 for four in the 11th over.

Heyliger and Gordon combined to share the last five wickets in the innings, ensuring there was no comeback story from Nepal to give the Canadians a welcome boost ahead of playing co-hosts United States in the opening match on Saturday at the same venue.

Earlier, Kirton cracked four fours and two sixes in 52 from 39 balls and led Canada to 183 for seven off their allocation of 20 overs after they were put in to bat.

Batting at four, the 26-year-old left-hander shared a 50-run second-wicket stand with opener Navneet Dhaliwal that set up the Canadians before he was dismissed in the 16th over.

Dhaliwal made 32, and Ravinderpal Singh beefed up the total with 41 not out batting at nine, dominating an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 48 with Heyliger.

Elsewhere, Oman beat Papua New Guinea by three wickets at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.

In a night time contest at the same venue, a knock of 54 from Niko Davin topped 51 not out from Roger Mukasa to lead Namibia to a five-wicket win against Uganda.