KATHMANDU: Nepal placed itself the winner in their second match against Papua New Guinea (PNG) beating the latter by three wickets in the triangular series of the ICC World Cup League-2 undergoing in UAE.
Invited to bowl first, Nepal bowled out PNG to 179 runs in 49.2 overs at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday.
Sompal Kami and Dipendra Singh Airee grabbed two wickets each to restrict PNG to a moderate target of 180 runs.
Opener Tony Ura scored the most runs for PNG. He scored 39 runs. Hiri Hiri scored 31 and Kiplin Doriga scored 26 runs.
Sese Bau and captain Asad Bhala were dismissed for 11 runs. Gaudy Tika 15, Chad Soper and Riley Hekure were dismissed for 9 runs each. Norman Vanua was dismissed for 14 runs.
Tony Ura was dismissed in the 22nd over by Sompal Kami taking a brilliant catch. Nepali players Dipendra Singh Airee and Sompal Kami managed to take 2 wickets each. Similarly, Karan KC, Kushal Malla and Sandeep Lamichhane took 1 wicket each.
Apart from the top wicket-takers, Nepal’s Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Kushal Malla also managed to grab a wicket apiece.
Nepali team with a staggering starts had lost seven wickets while scoring 105 runs. However, patient opener Aashif Sheikh retained the hope for the team scoring unbeaten 86 runs.
Aashif shared a record 77-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Sandeep Lamichhane who remained unbeaten on 35 runs, the second-highest score of the team.
Besides Sheikh and Lamichhane, Kushal Malla was the only Nepali batter to manage double-digit scores, gathering 23 runs off 26 balls. Malla was dismissed by Sese Bau in 31.2 overs.
With this, Nepal has won four matches against Papua New Guinea in League 2. Nepal will now have to win three of the remaining five matches to save the one-day international status.
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