KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 16
Nepal defeated the United Arab Emirates by three wickets and levelled the three-match One Day International series under Ssixer Cup here at the TU Stadium today.
Batting first, the UAE were bowled out for 191 runs in 43.2 overs before the home team reached 193-7 with 13 balls to spare. The third and final match of the series is slated for Friday. UAE had taken 1-0 lead with a 84-run victory in the opening match on Monday.
Chasing a modest target, Nepal lost opener Arjun Saud for a duck in the fourth ball of the innings, while Aasif Sheikh (six) and skipper Rohit Paudel (eight) fell cheaply. Nepal were reduced to 54-4 inside 18 overs after Gyanendra Malla was dismissed for 26 off 59 balls that included four boundaries.
Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee tried to revive Nepal's innings with a 35-run partnership for the fifth wicket before they were dismissed in the space of 17 runs as the home team struggled at 106-6 in 29 overs. Bhurtel struck six boundaries in his 52-ball 35.
Aarif Sheikh and Gulsan Jha brought Nepal back into the match with a 62- run stand for the seventh wicket, while Sheikh and Sompal Kami added 25 runs for the unbroken eighth wicket to complete the victory. Jha was the unlikely top scorer in Nepal's innings with 49-ball 37 with the help of four boundaries and a six, while Sheikh remained unbeaten on 33 off 58 balls that included three hits to the ropes. Kami struck two boundaries in his unbeaten run-a-ball 16.
Rohan Mustafa took 3-24 for UAE, while Hazrat Bilal bagged 2-33 and Basil Hameed grabbed one wicket.
Earlier, UAE openers Muhammad Waseem and Vriitya Aravind made a flying start putting up 72 runs inside 12 overs after skipper Chundangapoyil Rizwan won the toss and elected to bat first. Dipendra Singh Airee made the breakthrough after he had Aravind caught by Sompal Kami for 25 runs.
UAE were then reduced to 90-3 after Waseem and Rohan Mustafa (four) fell in the space of 10 runs. Waseem scored 50 off 46 balls hitting three boundaries and four sixes. The middle order batsmen failed to build meaningful partnerships and UAE lost last five wickets in the space of just 17 runs.
Skipper Rizwan hit two fours in his 34-ball 22, while Alishan Sharafu scored 35 off 43 balls hitting three boundaries. Vishnu Sumumaran (15) and Basil Hameed (24) also scored in double figures for the UAE.
Sompal Kami (3-35) and Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi (3- 41) shared six wickets between them, while Karan KC, player-of-the-match Gulsan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee and Kushal Bhurtel grabbed one wicket each for the home team.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 17, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
