MUSCAT, OCTOBER 15
Following the UAE's victories over Samoa and Qatar's win against Japan, both Nepal and Oman have secured qualification- with two matches to spare- for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka.
With this, Nepal has qualified for the global event for the second consecutive time and third overall, having previously appeared in the 2014 edition in Bangladesh.
In earlier fixtures, Nepal edged the UAE by one run, defeated Qatar by five runs, beat Japan by five wickets, and thrashed Kuwait by 38 runs.
Among the 20 teams participating in the World Cup are Canada from the Americas region; Netherlands and Italy from Europe; Zimbabwe and Namibia from Africa; along with one team yet to be determined from the ongoing qualifiers here in Oman.
Afghanistan, South Africa, the United States, Australia, England, Bangladesh, and the West Indies have all booked their places based on their standings from the 2024 World Cup, while India and Sri Lanka qualify automatically as hosts.
In today's fixture, Nepal outclassed hosts Oman by 38 runs to climb to the top of the six-team standings in the Asia-East Pacific Qualifier for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Backed by a rapturous crowd of Nepali supporters, Nepal posted a competitive 151 for nine before restricting Oman to 113 for nine in their allotted 20 overs.
Kushal Bhurtel was the standout performer with the bat, crafting a brilliant 69 off 51 balls, laced with seven boundaries and a six.
His brilliant innings and two catches in the outfield earned him the Man of the Match award.
For Oman, Nadeem Khan was the pick of the bowlers, claiming four wickets for 20 runs.
During the chase, Sompal Kami and Nandan Yadav shared four wickets between them, while Gulsan Jha dismantled the middle order with three crucial scalps.
In the post-match presentation, skipper Rohit Paudel said, "I am at a loss for words; I cannot fully express the joy of seeing a dream we began a year ago come true." He also expressed his gratitude to the backroom staff and the fans who were part of that journey.
With this commanding win, Nepal tops the table with eight points from four matches.
In their final Super Six fixture, Nepal will face Samoa on Friday.
