Nepal defeated UAE by nine runs (DLS) in a thriller on Thursday (March 16) at the Tribhuvan University Ground. After the result, Nepal replaced Namibia to successfully make it to the third spot of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2.
They have booked a spot at the 2023 World Cup Qualifier, which will be held in Zimbabwe. In that tournament, 10 teams will clash to secure themselves a spot for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
The qualifiers will be played between June and July this year. It will decide the final two participants for the 2023 ODI World Cup. The tournament will be based on a round-robin and knock-out format. A total of 34 matches will be played amongst the 10 nations.
Nepal vs UAE match report
After winning the toss, UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem chose to bat first. Asif Khan was the star for the UAE with his unbeaten 101 runs from just 42 balls. His knock included four boundaries and 11 sixes. He batted at a massive strike rate of 240.48.
Vriitya Aravind played a 94-run knock, followed by Muhammad Waseem’s 63. Their knocks helped UAE put on 310 runs on the scoreboard. Among the Nepal bowlers, Dipendra Singh Airee scalped two wickets, while Lalit Rajbanshi, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Sompal Kami scalped one wicket each.
While chasing the target, Nepal did not have a bright start as they lost opener Aasif Sheikh for a duck, while the next batter, Kushal Malla departed after five runs. Rohit Paudel and Kushal Bhurtel tried to stabilize the innings but failed to do so. While Paudel could add just 16 runs, Bhurtel scored his half-century, before Junaid Siddique trapped him.
Later on, three Nepal batters scored half-centuries. Bhim Sharki played a 76-ball 67-run knock, while Aarif Sheikh scored 52 off 62 balls. Gulsan Jha remained unbeaten for 50 off 48 balls when the umpire called off the game due to bad light, declaring Nepal the winner.
In case you missed:
