Nepal finished their ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign with exactly the result they needed, beating Oman by 10 runs on Monday to secure sixth place in the standings. It was a tense finish, but one that mattered enormously after the loss to Canada on Saturday had left little margin for error.
At the Al Amerat Ground, Nepal posted 280 and then held Oman to 270 for six in reply, with the chase falling just short over 50 overs. The victory was crucial because Nepal needed the win to finish among the top six teams in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 standings.
Rohit Paudel leads Nepal's total
Nepal's innings was anchored by Rohit Paudel, who made 80 off 81 balls with two fours and two sixes. Dipendra Singh Airee added 69 off 62 deliveries, including three fours and four sixes, while Dev Khanal contributed 57 off 65 balls with four fours and one six.
Those innings helped Nepal recover from 99 for three before a 139-run partnership pushed the total into a position that asked serious questions of Oman. The innings closed on 280 runs, and that proved just enough.
Oman fall just short in reply
Oman's chase was built around Hammad Mirza, who made 87 runs, and Jatinder Singh, who scored 58, but Nepal stayed in the contest through the key moments. The chase remained alive deep into the innings, yet the pressure of the required rate kept growing.
Oman finished on 270 for six, 10 runs shy of the target of 281. Nepal's win meant they completed the tournament in sixth place, while the result also underlined how important their response was after Saturday's defeat to Canada.
For Nepal, this was the kind of performance that needed to be delivered when the stakes were at their highest. They had already beaten Canada and Oman earlier in the competition, lost to Canada on Saturday, and then produced the comeback result on Monday when it mattered most.
