KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 21

In the third fixture of the triangular series of the ICC Men's World Cup Cricket League-2, Nepal suffered a 2-wicket defeat against Namibia.

The match, played today at TU Cricket Ground, witnessed Nepal setting a modest victory target of 169 runs for Namibia, a goal the visitors achieved at the cost of 8 wickets in 40 overs.

Gerhard Erasmus excelled for Namibia, securing 52 runs, while JJ Smith contributed an unbeaten 34, and Michael Van Lingen scored 31 runs.

On the bowling front, Kushal Bhurtel secured three wickets, while Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Kushal Malla each claimed one wicket.

Earlier, after losing the toss and being invited to bat first, Nepal lost all its wickets in 37.1 overs, posting a meager 168 runs on the scoreboard.

Aashif Sheikh led with 58 runs, Kushal Malla contributed 36, Bhim Sarki scored 26, Kushal Bhurtel notched 18, and Karan KC registered 12 runs. For Namibia, Bernard Scholtz and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton secured four wickets each, while Jack Brassel and Gerhard Erasmus each took one wicket.

This marks Nepal's second consecutive defeat against Namibia, following the inaugural match of the series that also featured the Netherlands, where Nepal lost by 4 wickets. However, Nepal secured victory in its second match against the Netherlands by 9 wickets.

With this triumph, Namibia has amassed a total of four points, while Nepal and the Netherlands hold two points each.