Nepal vs United Arab Emirates scorecard live: toss to Nepal, Paudel’s side bats first in Dubai (CWC League 2)

Bassyonni

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Nepal vs United Arab Emirates scorecard live

Nepal won the toss and elected to bat in Thursday’s ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 clash against the United Arab Emirates at the ICC Academy Ground, Dubai. The day–night ODI began at 9:30 a.m. local (5:30 a.m. GMT / 7:30 a.m. Cairo / 11:15 a.m. NST), with early signs pointing to a firm surface and modest cross-breeze—conditions that usually reward disciplined new-ball spells before easing for the middle overs. This is a developing match; figures below reflect the live scorecard as play gets underway.

Live scorecard snapshot (updated at first over)

Nepal: 1/0 (0.2 ov) — Kushal Bhurtel 1*, Aasif Sheikh 0*
Result of toss: Nepal opted to bat
Venue: ICC Academy Ground, Dubai
Format: ICC CWC League 2 (2023–27), Match 88

Note: Ball-by-ball numbers will fluctuate as the innings unfolds; use this as a quick reference alongside the session notes and player trackers below.

Playing XIs and role notes

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Bhim Sharki, Rohit Paudel (c), Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi.
United Arab Emirates: Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Shoaib Khan, Rahul Chopra (c), Muhammad Waseem, Harshit Kaushik, Dhruv Parashar, Zahid Ali, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid Khan.

What these lineups mean:

Nepal lean on a settled core—Bhurtel/Sheikh to set tempo, Paudel/Sharki to anchor, and DS Airee as the fulcrum who can flip the run rate at will while offering key overs.
UAE balance power (Waseem) with seam variety (Junaid Siddique in the powerplay) and a middle order that can consolidate if early wickets fall.

Session 1: powerplay themes to watch

Length vs. swing: UAE’s quicks typically target a hard back-of-length in Dubai; if the new ball swings, watch for an extra catcher deployed in front of square to Bhurtel.
Strike rotation for Nepal: Aasif Sheikh’s early singles open the field; Nepal’s best powerplays often feature low dot-ball percentages rather than boundary binges.
Fielding intensity: Warm, dry air favors skiddy carry; ring fielders have chances off thick edges if the ball holds its line.

What’s at stake in CWC League 2

Both teams are managing fixture congestion in Dubai with points at a premium for the League 2 table that feeds into World Cup qualification pathways. Nepal entered this leg with a solid win percentage but uneven starts; UAE are seeking traction after narrow defeats, making middle-over control and death-over execution decisive today.

Match timeline and milestones (will update as innings progresses)

0–10 overs: Nepal’s aim is wickets in hand > 50–55 runs; UAE seek two in the powerplay to expose the middle.
11–35 overs: Look for Paudel/Sharki to set a platform around run-a-ball 60–80 while Airee targets matchups.
36–50 overs: Nepal’s finish historically hinges on Gulsan Jha/Karan KC cameos; UAE counter with Siddique at the death and change-ups from the support seamers.

Player trackers

Rohit Paudel (NEP): Captaincy touchstone—his strike-rotation against seam decides whether Nepal bat first for 270+ or settle for par.
Dipendra Singh Airee (NEP): Two-phase impact: spin-bashing through the middle and 4–6 overs of tight off-spin when UAE chase.
Muhammad Waseem (UAE): Blueprint chaser; if set, he collapses required rate pressure in 30 balls.
Junaid Siddique (UAE): New-ball and death—hard lengths, heavy ball; watch his yorker percentage at the close.

Conditions and strategy

Pitch: Typical ICC Academy strip—true bounce, minor abrasions as heat builds. Expect 275–290 to be a testing first-innings score if wickets are preserved.
Dew factor: Limited in a daytime start but outfield sheen late can quicken the ball; captains keep an eye on grip for spinners after 30 overs.
Boundary dimensions: Square boundaries slightly shorter than straight; cutters into the pitch can be punished if overused.

How the innings could swing

Nepal’s best-case: One of Bhurtel/Sheikh bats into the 20th over, Paudel/Airee cash in on spin, and the tail adds 40–50 in the last five.
UAE’s best-case: Double-strike inside the first six, middle overs throttled by pace-off and tight fields, late wickets to cap the surge under 260.