Darwin, 21 August 2026:
Douwtjie Hoogenboezem struck an unbeaten half-century and Jordan Silk added an unbeaten 42 as Northern Territory Strike eased past Nepal by eight wickets with five overs to spare on Friday in the third and final match of the opening day of the Top End T20 Series.
Chasing 123 at Marrara Cricket Ground, NT Strike reached 123-2 in 15 overs after Hamish Martin’s three wickets had helped restrict Nepal to 122-8 from its 20 overs.
Hoogenboezem anchored the chase with an unbeaten 50 from 37 balls, hitting four fours and a six, while Silk accelerated with 42 not out from 28 deliveries, including two fours and two sixes.
NT Strike lost Jaga Koduru for eight in the fourth over before captain D’Arcy Short followed for 23, leaving the home side at 39-2 in the sixth over. Pawan Sarraf took both wickets and finished with 2-13 from three overs.
But Nepal was unable to make another breakthrough as Hoogenboezem and Silk combined for an unbroken 84-run third-wicket partnership to finish the chase comfortably.
Earlier, Nepal struggled to build momentum after being sent in to bat.
Kushal Bhurtel was dismissed without scoring in the opening over, caught by Silk off Tom Menzies. Captain Anil Sah made 14 from nine balls before William Blair bowled him, and Trit Raj Das followed soon afterward for 13 as Nepal slipped to 30-3 in the fifth over.
Kushal Malla’s run out for nine left Nepal 46-4 before Sarraf and Lokesh Bam attempted to rebuild the innings.
Sarraf top-scored with 41 from 49 deliveries, hitting three fours and a six, but Nepal’s scoring rate remained subdued. Bam made 16 from 13 balls before Martin trapped him lbw.
Martin then removed Rashid Khan for 10 to claim his third wicket. Sarraf was dismissed in the final over before Narayan Joshi’s late 15 from eight balls helped Nepal reach 122.
Martin was the pick of the NT Strike bowlers with 3-19 from four overs, while Menzies, Blair, Sam Barker and Short took one wicket each.
The victory gave NT Strike two points and completed the opening day’s three-match schedule in the 2026 Top End T20 Series.
Scores in brief:
Northern Territory Strike beat Nepal by eight wickets with 30 balls remaining
Nepal 122-8 in 20 overs (Pawan Sarraf 41, Lokesh Bam 16, Narayan Joshi 15; Hamish Martin 3-19, Tom Menzies 1-17, William Blair 1-11)
Northern Territory Strike 123-2 in 15 overs (Douwtjie Hoogenboezem 50 not out, Jordan Silk 42 not out, D’Arcy Short 23; Pawan Sarraf 2-13)
