Nepal faced its third straight defeat in the ongoing ICC World Cup League 2 tri-nation ODI series in the UAE, losing to the United States by four wickets in Dubai.
Chasing a target of 272 runs, the USA reached the mark in 49 overs, losing six wickets along the way.
For the USA, Saiteja Mukkamalla and Milind Kumar played crucial half-century innings. Mukkamalla top-scored with 75 runs off 101 balls, hitting two fours and a six, while Milind contributed 70 runs off 66 balls, including seven fours and one six. The pair added a vital 123-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Earlier, openers Sayan Jahangir (36), captain Monank Patel (21), and Shubham Ranjane (19) made valuable contributions.
For Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane took three wickets, while Nandan Yadav and Gulshan Jha picked up one each.
Batting first, Nepal was bowled out for 271 runs off the final ball of their 50 overs.
Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee top-scored for Nepal with a brilliant 75 runs off 67 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes. It was his fifth ODI half-century, which he reached off just 43 deliveries.
Nepal had an early setback, losing opener Aasif Sheikh with just two runs on the board in the second over. However, Kushal Bhurtel and Bhim Sharki steadied the innings with a 86-run partnership off 108 balls for the second wicket.
Bhurtel scored 47 runs from 65 balls (two fours, two sixes), while Bhim added 43 runs off 58 balls with four boundaries. After Bhim’s dismissal, Aarif Sheikh managed only two runs.
For the fifth wicket, captain Rohit Kumar Paudel and vice-captain Airee put together a solid 89-run stand off 82 balls. Rohit scored 36 runs from 46 balls, including two fours. Later, Airee and Karan KC shared a quick 27-ball partnership of 26 runs for the seventh wicket, with Karan playing a fiery knock of 49 runs off 31 balls, including two fours and three sixes.
Towards the end, Airee and Sandeep Lamichhane added 23 runs off 10 balls for the ninth wicket. Sandeep remained not out on 4 runs, while Gulshan Jha (5) and Nandan Yadav (1) were dismissed cheaply.
For the USA, Harmeet Singh took 3 wickets, while Nosthush Kenjige and Saurabh Netravalkar claimed 2 wickets each. Jasdeep Singh and Shubham Ranjane picked up one apiece.
The ICC World Cup League 2 features eight teams, each playing 36 matches. The top four sides will qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup Global Qualifiers, while the bottom four will move to the World Cup Qualifier Playoffs.
With this win, the USA strengthened their position at the top of the table, moving to 34 points from 23 matches, while Nepal remained seventh with 12 points from 19 matches. Earlier in the series, Nepal had also lost heavily to the USA by 106 runs.