KATHMANDU, Feb 9: Nepal has suffered 8-wicket loss with 16 balls remaining in the One Day International (ODI) match against Oman in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series played at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur on Sunday.
Earlier, winning the toss Oman opted to bowl first and invited Nepal to bat. Nepal had then scored 249 for the loss of 8 wickets.
Chasing the target of 250 runs, a brilliant partnership between Aqib Ilyas and Zeeshan Maqsood helped Oman register its easy second win against Nepal in this tri-series in the 48th over. Aqib Ilyas remained unbeaten with 109 runs off 108 deliveries. Zeeshan Maqsood, on the hand, hit 68 runs in 78 balls and remained not out as well. Similarly, Jatinder Singh and Khawar Ali added 23 and 41 runs respectively for their side.
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For Nepal, two left-arm spinners Sushan Bhari and Kushal Malla picked one wicket each. After the wicket of Khawar Ali in the 19th over, Nepal couldn't create any momentum. As a result, it suffered a humiliating defeat in its home-ground.
Earlier, Nepal captain Gyanendra Malla hit a half-century before he was caught by Mohammad Nadeem in the ball of Aqib Ilyas. Malla played the captain's knock scoring 56 off 76 deliveries. Nepal lost their first wicket in the 15th over in the form of Subash Khakurel who scored 22 off 42 balls.
Former skipper Paras Khadka hit 38 runs off 34 balls which included 6 boundaries and a maximum. Binod Bhandari (35) was another high scorer for the team while Aarif Sheikh and Kushal Malla contributed 28 runs each. Debutant all-rounder Malla, earlier on Saturday, made a record as the youngest male cricketer in history to make an international half-century after scoring 50 runs in 51 deliveries against the United States (US).
Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane scored 10 runs each while debutant Kamal Singh Airee added 9 runs to the scoreboard. Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee, however, didn't bother the scorers as he was dismissed for a duck.
In the bowling department, Bilal Khan and Aqib Ilyas claimed 3 wickets each. Zeeshan Maqsood and Khawar Ali, on the other hand, sent one Nepali batsman each to the pavilion.
In its match against Oman on Wednesday last week, Nepal had lost to the visiting side by 18 runs. However, it registered its first win in the series against the USA on Saturday.
With this loss, Nepal has been placed in the sixth position in the points table with 2 points from 3 matches while Oman is leading it with 14 points from 9 matches.
