Hong Kong finished third in the ACC Men’s T20 Premier Cup after edging Nepal by four wickets in Al Amerat, Oman on Saturday.

Chasing a decent 140-run target, Hong Kong’s Anshuman Rath cracked an unbeaten half-century as they overcame the target in 19.3 overs.

Despite mediocre batting by most of the Hong Kong side, opener Rath’s 50-knock 65, including four hits to the fences and two sixes, spearheaded the chase, helping them put 140-6 on the scoreboard.

The left-handed batter also shared a 45-run partnership with Babar Hayat who brought a 25-ball 25 of his own. Kushal Bhurtel caught Hayat off Sompal Kami in 10.4 overs.

Kami also picked out Hong Kong captain Nizakat Khan, having him caught by Aasif Sheikh in 3.2 overs, and opener Yasim Murtaza who was caught by Sundeep Jora.

Aizaz Khan scored 12 off 10 deliveries while Nasrulla Rana also contributed 11 runs. Khan was bowled and caught by Dipendra Singh Airee but Rana remained undefeated.

Kami picked three wickets in his four-over spell and Airee claimed two Hong Kong scalps.

Earlier, Nepal, who elected to bat first, managed to accumulate a decent total of 139 runs given a mediocre batting performance by the Rhinos.

Opener Kushal Bhurtel continued his poor form in the shortest format, departing for null in the second delivery of the innings. The Rhinos lost wickets cheaply as Kami was dismissed for a 7-ball 12 while Bhurtel’s opening partner Aasif Sheikh was sent for an 11-knock 5.

Captain Rohit Paudel smashed two boundaries to put 21 runs on the scoreboard while Sundeep Jora also contributed a 23-knock 22.

Nepal were down 98-8 after Karan KC was caught leg before for a meagre 3 runs in 16.2 overs. Dipendra Singh Airee stepped up for Nepal as he muscled four hits to the fences and three maximums helping the Rhinos escalate to the decent total.

The all-rounder put an unbeaten 44 runs on the scoreboard facing 29 deliveries.

Despite clearing the group stage of the T20 series with four consecutive wins in as many matches, Nepal failed to keep up the momentum losing the semis to the United Arab Emirates on Friday.

The UAE will face Oman in a high-stake final on Sunday. The winners of the tournament will punch their ticket to the 2025 T20 Asia Cup.