KATHMANDU: Middle-order batsmen Gulsan Jha and Rohit Kumar Paudel hit half-centuries as Nepal set Oman a target of 185 runs to win the ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier title.
After winning the toss, Nepal scored 184 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.
Gulsan contributed 54 runs in 25 balls while increasing the runs of Nepal in a weak position. Nepal’s run score increased when Gulsan hit 5 fours and 4 sixes. He shared a partnership of 78 runs with captain Paudel for the fifth wicket.
Gulsan entered the field after Kushal Mall was dismissed for 3 runs in the tenth over. When Mall was out, Nepal had scored 60 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
Along with Gulsan, captain Rohit Paudel’s half-century also proved to be important for Nepal. Rohit added 52 runs not out. He hit 5 fours and 2 sixes in 37 balls.
Similarly, Karan KC added 20 runs not out. Karan hit 1 four and 2 sixes in 5 balls. Nepal hit Oman’s Fayez Butt for 24 runs in the last over.
After scoring 60 runs in the first 10 overs, Nepal scored 124 runs in the last 10 overs.
Nepal lost 3 important wickets without completing 8 overs. Opening batsman Asif Shaikh was caught for 6 off Vilal Khan in the third over.
In the seventh over, Sandeep Zora was bowled by Zeeshan Maksud for 10 runs. In the first ball of the eighth over, Nepal lost opener Kushal Bhurtel for 31 runs. He hit 3 fours and 2 sixes in 22 balls before being caught off Aqib Ilyas.
Bibek Yadav managed to score only 1 run before being dismissed as the sixth wicket in the 19th over.
In bowling, Oman’s Bilal Khan took 3 wickets. He spent 26 runs in 4 overs.
Both the teams won the semi-finals earlier and confirmed their place in the T20 World Cup next year to be held in West Indies and America.
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