KATHMANDU, JUNE 18
Nepal faced an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of hosts Zimbabwe in the opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers at the Harare Sports Club today.
Put into bat, Nepal posted 290-8 in their allotted 50 overs before the Test nation raced to 292-1 with 35 balls to spare. The West Indies defeated the United States of America by 39 runs in another Group A match. The Netherlands are the fifth team in the group. Ireland, Oman, Scotland, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates are in Group B.
Nepal openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh made a flying start with the bat after Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine won the toss and decided to field first. The openers shared a record 171 runs inside 32 overs before Wellington Masakadza dismissed both of them in the space of three runs. Bhurtel missed the century by one run when he was undone by a Yorker from Masakadza. He struck 13 boundaries and two sixes in his 95-ball 99, while Sheikh scored 66 off 100 balls with the help of seven fours. The 171-run partnership is all-time highest for Nepal in ODI matches as they emulated the previous best of 139 runs shared by Aasif Sheikh and Gyanendra Malla against Namibia in February.
Kushal Malla and skipper Rohit Paudel added 72 runs for the third wicket but they were also dismissed in the space of nine runs. Malla scored 42-ball 41 that included two boundaries and three sixes, while Paudel struck five fours in his 29-ball 31. Gulsan Jha (13) and Aarif Sheikh (10) contributed in double figures for Nepal.
Richard Ngarava was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers taking 4-43 from nine overs, while Wellington Masakadza grabbed 2-42. Tendai Chatara and Blessing Muzarabani also got one wicket each.
In reply, Sompal Kami made the breakthrough in the eighth over to reduce the hosts to 45-1 but skipper Ervine and Sean Williams both scored centuries to take the match away from Nepal. Kami trapped Joylord Gumbie leg before the wicket for 25. Ervine and Wessly Madhevere (32) added 82 runs for the second wicket, while the Zimbabwe skipper combined with Williams to share the 164- run partnership for the unbroken third wicket to take the home in the 45th over.
Ervine remained unbeaten on 121 off 128 balls that included 15 fours and a six, while Williams clobbered 13 boundaries and a six in his 70-ball 102 not out. Sompal Kami and Gulsan Jha took one wicket each for Nepal. Nepal will next play against the USA on Tuesday.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 19, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
