Nepal Moves to Fifth Place After Defeating Scotland

May 18, Kathmandu – In a match held on Monday under the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, Nepal beat top-ranked Scotland by 6 wickets. Securing their second win in the ongoing series, Nepal climbed to fifth place in the League 2 points table.

At Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Nepal successfully chased the target of 195 runs set by Scotland, reaching 199 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 38.1 overs.

Captain Rohit Paudel played a pivotal role in Nepal’s victory, scoring an unbeaten 74 runs off 98 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes. He formed a century partnership for the third wicket with Ishan Pandey, who scored 55 runs off 61 balls including 5 fours and 2 sixes before getting out.

Openers Kushal Bhurtel and Asif Sheikh provided a strong start with a 58-run partnership for the first wicket. Kushal scored 28 runs and Asif made 29 before both were dismissed. After that, captain Rohit and Ishan steadied the innings. Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Aire was out for 2 runs, while Arif Sheikh remained unbeaten on 8. On the bowling front, Scotland’s Mark Watt took 2 wickets and Brendan McMullen claimed 1 wicket.

Earlier, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, Scotland was bowled out for 194 runs in 39.1 overs. Brendan McMullen was the top scorer for Scotland with 73 runs off 44 balls, hitting 6 sixes and 6 fours. Michael English also reached a half-century, scoring 51 runs off 72 balls. Other contributors included George Munsey (21), Richie Berrington (12), Mark Watt (20), along with lower-order players who scored minimally.

Spin bowler Lalit Rajbanshi was the star performer for Nepal, taking 4 wickets for 32 runs in 8 overs. Lalit, who had been struggling to take wickets for a while, made a remarkable comeback against Scotland. Sandeep Lamichhane took 3 wickets for 47 runs in 10 overs, setting a new world record by becoming the fastest to reach 150 ODI wickets in just 73 matches, surpassing Mitchell Starc’s previous record of 77 matches set seven years ago. Nandan Yadav, Sompal Kami, and Dipendra Singh Aire took one wicket each.

Before this match, Nepal was in seventh place. With this victory, they moved up two places to fifth with 22 points from 27 games. Namibia, with the same 22 points but a lower run rate from 28 matches, is in sixth place. Canada sits seventh with 21 points from 24 matches, and UAE remains near the bottom with 14 points from 24 games.

Defeated Scotland remains at the top of the table with 38 points from 31 games. The United States is second with 36 points from 26 games, while Oman holds third place with 31 points from 28 games. The Netherlands is in fourth with 28 points from 24 matches. Nepal will face the United States in the final match of the series on Friday.