By Daisy Atino
Pokhara Avengers secured their first victory in the Nepal Premier League (NPL) T20 cricket tournament with an emphatic 10-wicket win over the Lumbini Lions at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
American wicketkeeper batsman Andries Gous registered the first century of the game, scoring an unbeaten 104 runs off 55 balls against Lions.
Gous, having opened for the Pokhara Avengers, steered the team to a win by 10 wickets with 22 balls remaining from the allotted 20 overs. He scored the quickfire century off 54 deliveries, having scored the first 50 runs off just 20 balls.
His partner, Dinesh Kharel, contributed an unbeaten 61 runs off 46 balls, including four sixes and four boundaries. Pokhara also benefited from 11 extra runs in the match.
With this score, Gous moved up to the fourth position in the list of most runs scored in the NPL, with a total of 124 runs.
This marks Pokhara’s maiden victory in the ongoing tournament, following a heavy 87-run loss to the Chitwan Rhinos in their first game and a seven-wicket defeat against the Janakpur Bolts in their second.
Earlier, Lumbini Lions, opting to bat first after winning the toss, posted a total of 170 runs for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
Captain Rohit Poudel led the charge with an unbeaten 95 runs off 59 balls, including four sixes and 10 fours. Tom Moores contributed 45 runs, while Sundeep Jora added 18. Bibek Yadav managed just two runs, while Aashutosh Ghiraiya and Unmukt Chand fell for ducks. Lumbini also gained 10 extra runs.
In the bowling department, Pokhara’s Bipin Khatri took two wickets, and Matt Critchley claimed one.
This defeat marks Lumbini’s second loss in the tournament, having earlier suffered a narrow two-wicket defeat against the Biratnagar Kings.
Gous is a South African-American cricketer who plays for the Washington Freedom, and the United States national cricket team.
In September 2018, he was named in Free State’s squad for the 2018 Africa T20 Cup and was the joint-leading run-scorer for Free State in the tournament, with 155 runs in four matches. In September 2019, he was named in Free State’s squad for the 2019–20 CSA Provincial T20 Cup.
In April 2021, Gous moved to the United States after signing a three-year deal to play cricket. And in June 2021, he was selected to take part in the Minor League Cricket tournament in the United States following the players’ draft and was later signed by Pokhara Avengers for 2024 Nepal Premier League.
In December 2024, he became the first player to score century in the history of Nepal Premier League.
