KATHMANDU, JUNE 18

Zimbabwe recorded a comfortable victory after beating Nepal by eight wickets in the maiden match of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 on Sunday.

After winning the toss, the hosts Zimbabwe elected to field first. Sent in to bat first, Nepal managed to put up a competitive target of 291 runs at the expense of eight wickets in the match held today at the Harare Sports Club in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

Nepali wicketkeeper-batsman Aasif Sheikh scored 66 runs off 100 deliveries, while Kushal Bhurtel missed out on a historic century by a single run. Bhurtel played impressively for his 99 off 95 deliveries, with a healthy strike rate of 104.21.

Similarly, Kushal Malla also made a significant contribution to the team's total with his 41 runs from 42 balls. In addition, the Nepali skipper Rohit Paudel made 31 from 29 deliveries.

Nepal batted for all 50 overs and lost eight wickets in the pursuit of 290 runs.

Pacer Richard Ngarava of Zimbabwe scalped four Nepali wickets in his nine overs and gave away only 43 runs. Similarly, spinner Wellington Masakadza also took two Nepali wickets, while both Tendai Chatara and Blessing Muzarabani of Zimbabwe took one wicket each.

Chasing the decent target, Zimbabwe's innings saw two centurions in the form of skipper Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, who made 121 runs off 128 deliveries and a quick-fire 102 off 70 balls, respectively.

For Zimbabwe, Joy Gumbie and Wesley Madhevere made notable contributions with their innings of 25 and 32 runs, respectively.

Thanks to a commendable batting performance from the Zimbabwean team, they chased down the target, losing only two wickets in 44.1 overs.

Gulshan Jha and Sompal Kami took one wicket each for Nepal, but it went in vain as Zimbabwe chased the target.

The Zimbabwean captain, Craig Ervine, was awarded the man of the match for his unbeaten century stand that saw his team through.

In the second match of Group A, West Indies won against the USA by 39 runs.

On June 20, Nepal will compete against the United States of America (USA) at the Takashinga Sports Club in the Zimbabwean capital.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 has begun today and is being hosted by Zimbabwe. A total of 10 teams are competing in the tournament, divided into two groups, with the hopes of qualifying for the ODI World Cup 2023, which will be held later this year in October-November in India.

Group A comprises Zimbabwe, West Indies, Netherlands, USA, and Nepal, while Group B consists of UAE, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Oman, and Scotland.

After the league stage, the top three teams from each group will compete against each other in the Super Six stage. The top two teams from the tournament will earn a berth in the ODI World Cup 2023.