Nepal has defeated UAE in the seventh-place playoff of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023. Team Nepal were victorious by three wickets, chasing a target of 183 runs.
Dipendra Singh Airee was the star of the chase as his 79-run knock helped Nepal reach the goal in 43.2 overs at Takashinga Sports Club. Nepal will now face Ireland in the seventh-place match, while UAE will battle against the USA in the ninth-place match.
Nepal had a fumbling start losing Arjun Saud (1) in the second over. Gyanendra Malla (13), Rohit Paudel (4), Bhim Sharki (1) and Aarif Sheikh (1) walked back swiftly as Nepal were down to 55 for 5 in the 18th over. Opener Kushal Bhurtel was also dismissed for 35 after a few overs.
Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulshan Jha (12) then shared 43 runs for the seventh wicket to bring back Nepal in the chase. Airee then shared an unbeaten 79 runs stand with Sandeep Lamichhane to take Nepal home.
Airee stayed there till the end, scoring an unbeaten 79 runs from 85 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Lamichhane also contributed crucial 23 runs with a couple of boundaries.
For UAE, Muhammad Jawadullah picked up three wickets, whereas the other four bowlers grabbed one wicket each.
Earlier, UAE were bowled out for a mere 181 runs in 46.5 overs. Invited to bat first, UAE lost the wicket in the second ball of the inning, with Karan KC sending back Asif Khan for a duck. Aaryansh Sharma (28) and Vriitya Aravind shared 64 runs for the second wicket. Vriitya, who led UAE in the absence of Muhammad Waseem, top-scored for his side with 44 runs.
UAE were 97/3 at one stage, but they lost the next seven wickets for just 84 runs and crumbled out for 181. Rohan Mustafa and Basil Hameed contributed 35 and 28 runs, whereas the other batters couldn’t do any special.
For Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane and Karan KC picked up three wickets each. Lamichhane conceded just 23 from his ten-over spell, bowling three maidens, while KC conceded 36 from 8.5 overs. Pratish GC, Gulshan Jha and Dipendra Singh Airee also pocketed one wicket each.
Nepal made three changes from the previous match. Arjun Saud, Gyanendra Malla and Pratish GC made their way into Playing XI in place of Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Malla and Lalit Rajbanshi.
