INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, MARCH 18Nepal national cricket team faced a 48-run defeat at the hands of the United Arab Emirates in a
low-scoring One Day International match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium today.
CIAA files corruption case against former national football
team skipper Khadka
Nepal, who struggled to beat
Papua New Guinea in the opening match of the tri-series under ICC Cricket World Cup League-II, surrendered meekly against the hosts, as they
were packed for a paltry 120 runs in 35.1 overs while chasing an easy 169-run target.
Batting first, the UAE were bowled
out for 168 runs in 46.3 overs but Nepali batters seemed in hurry to return to the pavilion and were packed for 120 runs.Only Rohit Paudel
showed resistance at the middle scoring 46 off 60 balls with the help of four boundaries.Former skipper Gyanendra Malla (28) and opener
Kushal Bhurtel (11) were the other batters who contributed in double figures.The 55-run partnership between Paudel and Malla for the fourth
wicket was the highlight of Nepal's innings.With the fall of Paudel in the 30th over, Nepal lost the last five wickets for just 13 runs
Basil Hameed was the pick of the UAE bowlers taking 4-15 from five overs, while Junaid Siddique claimed 3-18.Earlier, Nepali bowlers did
well to restrict the home team for a below-par total, only for the batsmen to waste the opportunity
Nepal reduced the UAE to 35-4 inside 11 overs before Chundangapoyil Rizwan and Rohan Mustafa added 77 runs for the fifth wicket.Nepali
bowlers then claimed the last five wickets for 34 runs to dismiss the home team cheaply.Player-of-the-match Mustafa scored 40 off 81 balls
hitting two fours and a six, while Rizwan scored 85- ball 40
Opener Muhammad Waseem (21), Kashif Daud (18), Basil Hameed (14) and skipper Ahmed Raza (13) contributed in double figures
Sompal Kami returned with 4-39 from nine overs, while Karan KC grabbed 3-16 from 7.3 overs
Skipper Sandeep Lamichhane, Dipendra Singh Airee and Sagar Dhakal bagged one wicket each.Nepal remained unchanged at sixth with 10 points
from 10 matches in seven-team standing, while UAE are second on 20 from 16 games
Oman lead the table with 36 points from 28 matches
Scotland are third on 16, while Namibia and the United States of America have 14 points each
Nepal will play against the UAE on March 21 before wrapping up the tour with a match against PNG the following day.A version of this article
appears in the print on March 19, 2022, of The Himalayan Times
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com