Kathmandu, September 6
Nepal advanced to the semi-finals of the ACC Premier Cup with a third consecutive victory, defeating Saudi Arabia by five wickets on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 191, Nepal reached 192 for five in 41 overs. Gulshan Jha remained unbeaten on 44, while captain Rohit Paudel scored an unbeaten 24. Ishan Pandey contributed 40 and Dev Khanal 39, while Aasif Sheikh and Arjun Kumal scored 20 and 15, respectively.
For Saudi Arabia, Istiyaq Ahmed and Muhammad Atif took two wickets each, while Mohammad Hisham claimed one.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia were bowled out for 190 in 49.2 overs after winning the toss and opting to bat. Abdul Waheed top-scored with 77, while Muhammad Atif made 30 and Mohammad Hisham Sheikh scored 18.
For Nepal, captain Sandeep Lamichhane took three wickets for 19 runs in 10 overs. Lalit Rajbanshi claimed two wickets for 26 runs, while Dipendra Singh Airee took three wickets and Sher Malla one.
Nepal had previously defeated Bahrain and Malaysia. The team will face Hong Kong in its final group-stage match on Tuesday, after which the group winner will be decided.
