KATHMANDU, March 10 : Nepal has lost to Afghanistan by six wickets at the ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2018 held at Bulawayo Athletic Club, Zimbabwe on Saturday.
Chasing the 195-run target set by Nepal, Afghanistan reached the target in 38.4 overs losing only four wickets.
Najibullah Zadran smashed highest 52 runs studded with three sixes and four fours off 47 balls, Rahmat Shah scored 46 runs including five fours off 75 deliveries while Mohammad Nabi made 34 runs including one six and two fours off 32 balls.
In reply, Nepal’s Deependra Singh Airee took two wickets of Afghanistan and Sandeep Lamichhane and Karan KC grabbed one wicket each.
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Earlier, electing to bat first after winning the toss, Nepal made 194 runs losing all the wickets in 49.5 overs.
Skipper Paras Khadka top-scored with 75 runs studded with one six and 10 fours off 82 balls.
Likewise, Deependra Singh Airee made 32 runs including one six and three fours off 41 balls wile Gyanendra Malla and Aarif Sheikh contributed 23 runs each off 69 and 36 balls respectively.
Sent in to field after losing the toss, Afghan player Mohammad Nabi took highest four wickets of Nepal conceding 33 runs in 10 overs.
Similarly, Rashid Khan grabbed three wickets giving away 45 runs in 9.5 overs while Shapoor Zadran claimed two wickets at the cost of 32 runs in eight overs.
Ten teams are battling for two spots at the ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in 2019 hosted by England and Wales. The top three from each group goes through to a Super Six stag at which the teams will play three games each against the sides of opposite group.
All points won in the groups will be carried over to the Super Six stage apart from those gained against the bottom two from each group.
The top two teams from the Super Six final standings will play a final, and both teams will qualify for the World Cup.
Group A: Nepal, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Scotland, Afghanistan
Group B: UAE, West Indies, the Netherlands, Ireland, Papua New Guinea
