KATHMANDU, Feb 17: Nepal pulled off a stunning seven-wicket victory over Scotland in their last group stage match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Tuesday, chasing down a target of 171 with four balls to spare.
The victory orchestrated by a crucial partnership between Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulshan Jha was Nepal’s first in twelve years in a T20 World Cup match..
Put in to bat, Scotland posted a competitive 170/7 in their 20 overs. Opener Michael Jones was the standout performer, smashing 71 off just 45 balls, a knock studded with 8 fours and 3 sixes. George Munsey provided a brisk start with 27, while Brandon McMullen chipped in with a quickfire 25.
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For Nepal, Sompal Kami was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3/25 in his four overs. Spinners Nandan Yadav (2/34) and Rohit Paudel (1/12) also chipped in with crucial wickets to peg Scotland back in the middle overs.
In response, Nepal got off to a flying start. Openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh put on a record-breaking 74-run partnership for the first wicket. Their stand is now Nepal's highest for the first wicket in Men's T20 World Cups, shattering the previous record of 37.
Bhurtel was particularly aggressive, smashing 4 sixes in his innings—the most by a Nepali batter in a T20 World Cup innings, going past Airee's previous record of 3.
After both openers and captain Rohit Paudel fell to the spin of Michael Leask (3/30), Nepal found themselves needing a steadying force. They found it in the form of Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulshan Jha.
The pair added an unbeaten 73-run partnership off just 36 balls to seal the deal. Airee was in devastating form, remaining not out on 50 off a mere 23 balls. Gulshan Jha provided the perfect support with a quickfire 24 not out off 17 balls.
