KATHMANDU, JUNE 22

Nepal faced a 101-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier match at the Harare Sports Club today.

Batting first, the West Indies posted a mammoth 339-7 in their allotted 50 overs riding on centuries from skipper Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran, while Nepal was packed for 238 with two balls to spare in the third match of the campaign. Nepal played the Test-nation Windies for the first time and only Aarif Sheikh left his mark with his sixth half-century in the One Day International match.

Chasing a huge target, Nepali batters failed to build partnerships as they lost wickets at regular interval. Opener Kushal Bhurtel (five) fell in the second over with just five runs on the board, while Bhim Sharki (two) was dismissed cheaply. Another opener Aasif Sheikh hit three fours in his 36-ball 28, while skipper Rohit Paudel scored 30 off 43 balls that included three hits to the fence.

Kushal Malla (two) did not trouble the scorers much, while Dipendra Singh Airee fell for 20-ball 23 after hitting two fours and six. Aasif Sheikh, who scored the only half century of the innings, and Gulsan Jha shared a 68-run partnership for the seventh wicket in the biggest stand for Nepal. Sheikh scored 64 off 93 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six, while Jha hit five fours and a six in his 58-ball 42.

Sandeep Lamichhane fell for one, while Karan KC struck four fours and six in his 27-ball 28. Jason Holder was the pick of the Windies bowlers taking 3-34, while Alxarri Joseph (2-45), Keemo Paul (2-64) and Akeal Hosein (2-49) took two wickets each. Kyle Mayers also bagged a wicket.

Earlier, centurions Hope and Pooran shared a 217-run partnership for the fourth wicket to take the match away from Nepal, who had reduced the West Indies to 55-3 inside 16 overs. Player-of-the-match Hope struck 10 fours and three sixes in his 129-ball 132, while Pooran scored 115 off just 84 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and four sixes.

Opener Brandon King scored 32 off 42 balls with the help of two each fours and sixes, while Rovman Powell struck three fours and a six in his 14-ball 29 and Jason Holder remained unbeaten on 16 off 10 balls that included two fours. Lalit Rajbanshi took three wickets for Nepal, while Karan KC, Gulsan Jha, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Dipendra Singh Airee bagged one each.

Nepal skipper Rohit Paudel rued the dropped catches and lamented poor bowling. 'I think in early stages, we bowled really well but we dropped a few catches. We could have done better in the field. Usually we field well but today we missed a few opportunities. Later on, both Pooran and Hope batted really well. I think we could have done better by using the pace. Aarif and Gulsan played really well. We have to be up to the mark in every game,' Paudel told the ESPNcricinfo after the match.

In another match, the Netherlands defeated the United States of America by five wickets, Batting first, the USA posted 211-8 in their allotted 50 overs before the Netherlands reached 214-5 with 40 balls to spare. Nepal - who faced defeat against Zimbabwe in the first match and defeated the USA in another game - will face the Netherlands in the last match the group stage on Saturday.

With two each wins in Group A, the West Indies and Zimbabwe are tied on four points with the hosts behind at second place on net run rate. The Netherlands are in the third position ahead of Nepal on better net run rate after being tied on two points, while the USA are yet to open their accounts.

In Group B, Oman are at the top with four points from two matches, while Sri Lanka and Scotland have two points each after their wins in first-round matches. Ireland and the United Arab Emirates have faced two straight defeats so far. Top three teams from both groups will advance to the Super Six round, while the bottom sides will play in playoffs.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 23, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.