Nepal won the match against PNG in ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 at Dubai Cricket Stadium (UAE), registering a victory over PNG by 3 wickets with 12 balls left.
The 8th Wicket’s incredible partnership between Aasif Sheikh and Sandeep Lamichhane off 50 runs to help the win the match. This is the back-to-back 20+ runs for Sandeep Lamichhane in this series.
Nepal chased the target and managed to score 182 with 7 wickets lost in 48 overs. Nepal lost the important wicket of opener Kushal Bhurtel in the first ball. Aasif Sheikh was the top scorer for Nepal, scoring 86 off 130 balls, and leg spinner Sandeep Lamichhane scored 35 runs in 50 balls.
Assad Vala took 3 wickets, while Semo Kamea and Sese Bau took 2 wickets each for PNG. PNG conceded 14 extra runs with 10 wides.
Before that, again, Asad Vala won the toss and elected to bat first. PNG only managed to score 179 runs in 49.2 overs and lost all their wickets. Opener Tony Ura was the top scorer for Nepal, scoring 39 off 51 balls, and Hiri Hiri scored 31 runs in 63 balls.
Dipendra Singh Airee and Sompal Kami took 2 wickets each, while Kushal Malla, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Karan KC took 1 wicket each. The Nepali bowlers gave away 8 extras, which included 4 wides.
The Man of the Match award was presented to Aasif Sheikh for his outstanding knock of 86 runs off 130 balls with one outstanding run out.
Nepal’s next game of the tournament will be played against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 6 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Then Nepal will play the tri-nation series with UAE and PNG in Kathmandu starting March 9.
