Kathmandu, May 5: Nepal secured a convincing 81-run victory over Oman in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match at Kirtipur Cricket Stadium.
Chasing a target of 257 runs, Oman were bowled out for 175 in 39.5 overs. Gulshan Jha starred with the ball, claiming five crucial wickets to dismantle the Omani batting lineup.
He was well supported by Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane and Dipendra Singh Airee, who took one wicket each.
Earlier, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, Nepal posted a competitive total of 256 runs. The innings was anchored by Aasif Sheikh, who scored an impressive 94 off 97 balls, including 7 fours and 5 sixes. He was later declared Player of the Match.
He was supported by Arjun Kumal (48), while Aarif Sheikh added a quickfire 43 off 24 balls to accelerate the scoring in the latter stages.
Further contributions came from Dipendra Singh Airee (33) and Gulshan Jha (17), though Nepal lost wickets at regular intervals, restricting them from posting an even bigger total.
Captain Rohit Paudel managed 9 runs, while wicketkeeper Binod Bhandari was dismissed without scoring.
For Oman, Nadeem Khan and Shakeel Ahmed were among the key wicket-takers.
With this result, Nepal avenged their earlier defeat against Oman in the ongoing league. Nepal had also registered a win against United Arab Emirates national cricket team in the tournament.
Despite the victory, Nepal remain seventh in the standings with 18 points from 24 matches. Upcoming fixtures against table-toppers United States national cricket team and second-placed Scotland national cricket team will be crucial for their campaign.
Point table
1. USA — 36 points (24 games)
2. Scotland — 34 (28)
3. Oman — 31 (28)
4. Netherlands — 28 (24)
5. Namibia — 22 (28)
6. Canada — 21 (24)
7. Nepal — 18 (24)
8. UAE — 14 (24)
