Nepal’s national cricket team has faced a narrow defeat against Ireland in the seventh-place match of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023. Chasing a target of 269, Ireland completed the feat with just four balls spare, losing eight wickets.
Ireland finished in seventh position, whereas Nepal finished in eighth. Nepal were in control after picking three wickets for 60 runs in the 12th over. Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker then shared 58 runs before Tucker departed for 24 runs. Tector too was removed after a while for a well-made 60 as Ireland were five down for 134 in the 26th over.
Curtis Campher played a pivotal role and added 84 runs with George Dockrell for the sixth wicket. Dockrell made important 33 runs. Campher top scored with 62 runs from 59 balls. He was adjudged a player of the match for his terrific inning.
Eighteen runs were needed from the last three overs while Mark Adair smashed a match-changing couple of boundaries. Gareth Delany also contributed an unbeaten 16 runs.
For Nepal, Karan KC picked up four wickets. Kishore bagged two, whereas Gulshan Jha and Sandeep Lamichhane grabbed one each.
Earlier, Nepal piled up a decent total of 264/8 after being invited to bat first. Gulshan Jha was the star with a late half-century.
Kushal Bhurtel (8) and Gyanendra Malla were sent back cheaply. Rohit Paudel (29) and Arjun Saud (48) tried to uplift Nepal’s inning with a 50-run partnership, but both batters’ dismissals in quick interval saw Nepal four down for 103 runs.
Bhim Sharki (20), Dipendra Singh Airee (0) and Kushal Malla were dismissed swiftly as Nepal were 169/7 in the 38th over. Malla scored an entertaining 44 runs. Gulshan Jha and Sandeep Lamichhane added 84 runs for the eighth wicket. Lamichhane continuing his good batting run, added 32 runs while Jha completed his third ODI fifty. Jha smacked an unbeaten 42-ball 57 runs with four boundaries and three sixes.
Nepal added 63 runs from the last five overs.
For Ireland, Craig Young, Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy picked up two wickets each.
