KATHMANDU, Feb 14: Canada has set Nepal a 195 –run target in their final match at the ICC World Cricket League Division Two held at Windhoek in Namibia on Wednesday.
Canada was sent in to bat first after Nepal won the toss, they scored 194 runs in the allotted 50 overs, losing eight wickets.
Right-hand batsman Srimantha Wijeratne scored highest unbeaten 103 runs studded with eight fours off 152 balls, Hamza Tariq made 24 runs including two sixes off 30 balls while Satsimranjit Dhindsa contributed 18 runs including one six off 19 balls.
For Nepal Basant Regmi took three wickets conceding 34 runs in 10 overs, Sandeep Lamichhane grabbed two wickets giving away 40 runs in nine overs while Sarad Vesawkar and Karan KC grabbed one wicket each giving away 21 and 33 runs respectively.
Disaster-induced toll reaches 195
It is a must-win game for Nepal to qualify for the ICC World Cup 2019 Qualifiers to be held in Zimbabwe.
Home team Namibia’s win over Kenya on Tuesday has placed it at the second position in the points table above Nepal. Although Namibia and Nepal have equal points (six) on the table, the latter is ranked lower due to negative run rate.
Namibia has a run rate of 0.787, while Nepal’s run rate is -0.158. Canada sits on top of the table with six points and 1.116 net run rate.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has four points languishing at the fourth place on the table.
Both the final league round matches, Nepal versus Canada and Namibia versus the UAE are eliminators. The winners will go to the next round, whereas the losers will stay in the Division Two waiting for the next cycle of qualifications to start.
A total of six teams - Nepal, Oman, Namibia, Canada, UAE and Kenya - are participating in the Division Two league since Thursday.
The top two teams will qualify for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers to be held in Zimbabwe from March 4 to 25.
