Sandeep five-star, Rohit shines with bat
MUSCAT, OCTOBER 13
A scintillating five-wicket haul by Sandeep Lamichhane and a composed half-century from skipper Rohit Paudel guided Nepal to yet another nail-biting five-run victory over Qatar in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia-East Pacific Qualifier at Al Amerat Cricket Stadium in Oman today.
Nepal continued their winning momentum, following a one-run thriller against the UAE with another nail-biting win over Qatar to collect two more points.
Defending just 10 runs in the final over, Lamichhane produced a masterclass in pressure bowling, claiming two wickets - including the last pair - with deft glove work from wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh, to seal a dramatic win in front of rapturous Nepali supporters.
Earlier, Lamichhane had bowled Imal Liyanage to break a threatening opening stand and trapped Muhammad Asim leg-before, before delivering the killer blow that steered Nepal closer to qualification for their third T20 World Cup appearance, to be held in India and Sri Lanka next year.
Qatar appeared firmly in control at one stage, with opener Zubair Ali anchoring the innings while wickets tumbled at the other end. However, the game turned on its head following a moment of brilliance from Dipendra Singh Airee, whose one-handed pick-up and direct hit ran out skipper Mirza Mohammed Baig. Moments later, Mohammad Aadil Alam struck with another superb direct hit from backward point to dismiss Muhammad Tanveer.
The momentum firmly shifted when Nandan Yadav removed the well-set Zubair Ali, who mistimed a hook shot to Gulsan Jha inside the boundary ropes. He scored 52 runs off 55 balls with two fours and a six. After his dismissal, no other Qatari batter managed to reach double figures, much to the delight of the Nepali fans.
Yadav finished with 2 for 29, while Airee chipped in with one wicket.
Opting to field first after winning the toss, Qatar restricted Nepal to 147 for 9. Skipper Rohit Paudel anchored the innings with a fluent 58 off 42 balls, laced with seven boundaries and a six. He shared a vital 62-run stand for the fourth wicket with Dipendra Singh Airee, who contributed 26 off 22 balls, stabilizing the innings after the early loss of top-order batters. Gulsan Jha added late fireworks with 16 off just 8 balls, including two towering sixes over the cover region.
For Qatar, Mirza Mohammed Baig and Daniel Louis shared three wickets each, while Muhammad Asim and Owais Ahmed picked up one apiece in a losing cause.
In the post-match presentation, Qatar skipper Mirza Mohammed Baig conceded, "We lost the game from a winning position. Congratulations to Nepal for holding their nerve." Nepal captain Rohit Paudel, meanwhile, was full of praise for his star spinner: "I'm at a loss for words. Sandeep's bowling in the last over was simply outstanding."
Lamichhane, who was named Player of the Match, expressed his delight, saying, "I'm happy to deliver for the team and the country. There's still room for improvement, but the best part is that everyone is contributing in their own way for the team's success."
With this victory, Nepal collected two crucial points and now sit second behind Oman with four points from two Super Six fixtures.
Nepal will face hosts Oman in their next encounter at the same venue on Wednesday, in what could prove to be a decisive clash for T20 World Cup qualification.
All the pictures of today's fixture were captured by Mausam Shah 'Nepali' for The Himalayan Times.
