Nepal secures T20 World Cup berth after 10-year
Kathmandu / Nov 3: Nepal has made it to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024 after registering an eight-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the semifinal under the Asia Qualifier. Co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States, the Word Cup will take place from June 4 to 30, 2024.
The semifinal match was held at the Mulpani Cricket Stadium here today. Chasing the victory target of 135 runs posted by UAE, Nepal achieved it in 17.1 overs at the loss of two wickets. For the winning team, wicketkeeper Aashif Sheikh hit a half century. He made 64 runs off 51 balls with six boundaries and two sixes. Similarly, Capitan Rohit Poudel made 35 with three fours and one six while Gulshan Jha 22, and Kushal Bhurtel 11. For UAE, Nilansh Keswani and Basil Hameed took one wicket each.
Winning the toss and batting first, UAE scored 134 runs in the allotted 20 overs, losing nine wickets. For the team, Vriitya Aravind hit highest 64 off 54 balls with eight boundaries and two sixes. Likewise, Captain Mohammad Waseem made 26 from 16 with three fours and two sixes. Asif Khan contributed 13, and Alishan Sharafu 16. For Nepal, Kushal Malla bagged two wickets, and Sandeep Lamichhane two. Similarly, Sompal Kami and Poudel took one each. Grouped ‘A’, Nepal reached the semifinal by becoming first runner-up while UAE made it to the semifinal as the champion of Group ‘B’.
In the semifinal today, Oman reached the final by beating Bahrain by 10 wickets. Nepal is facing Oman in the final on Sunday.