Kathmandu, September 7
Nepal narrowly beat Papua New Guinea by two wickets in a one-day international match held in Al Amerat in Oman on Tuesday.
Winning the toss, the PNG opted to bat first, putting up only 134 on board. Debutant Bikram Sob rocked the PNG’s top order with two quick wickets, including one from this first ball in ODI cricket.
Spinners Sandeep Lamichhane and Kushal Malla then piled the pressure on PNG picking up wickets at regular intervals.
A few of their batters did get starts, but Lamichhane’s four wickets and Malla’s two wickets broke the PNG’s middle order as Nepal restricted them to a modest score.
Things were not as straightforward for Nepal during the chase. Debutants Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel put up a 46-run stand, but the middle order crumbled as soon as the openers got out. Captain Gyanendra Malla and Sharad Vesawkar never really got going as they got out cheaply.
The innings was rescued by Rohit Paudel and Sompal Kami putting up a 52-run stand to win Nepal the game.
The next game will take place on September 10.
Nepal are currently in Oman to take on the USA and Oman in the 2019–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament that begins on September 13.
This will be Dav Whatmore’s last tournament as Nepal’s coach as he resigned from his position on August 28.
