Nepal continued their strong preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia Pacific Qualifier with another commanding win, this time defeating Qatar by 16 runs in their second warm-up encounter on Monday evening.
Batting first after winning the toss, Nepal posted a competitive total of 170 for 7 in 20 overs. Opener Kushal Bhurtel led from the front with a fluent 56 off 33 balls, while Dipendra Singh Airee and Kushal Malla added valuable contributions of 38 and an unbeaten 38 respectively.
In reply, Qatar put up a spirited chase but fell short, managing 154 for 6 in their 20 overs. Muhammad Tanveer top-scored with 51 off 37 balls, while captain Mirza Mohammed Baig made 40 from 27 and Muhammad Asim chipped in with 30 runs.
For Nepal, Karan KC claimed a crucial wicket, supported by Nandan Yadav and Lalit Rajbanshi, who took one wicket each.
Among the Qatari bowlers, Muhammad Ikramullah and Shariq Munir picked up two wickets each, while Mujeeb Ur Rehman and Arif took one apiece.
With this result, Nepal secured their second consecutive warm-up win, having earlier defeated Oman. The team now looks in confident form ahead of the upcoming qualifiers.