Nepal made a winning start in the ICC T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier being held in Oman. On Wednesday night, Nepal defeated Kuwait by a convincing margin of 58 runs in their opening match.
Chasing a target of 142 runs, Kuwait was bowled out for just 83 runs in 18.1 overs. For Kuwait, Clinto Anto top-scored with 26 runs, while Yasin Patel contributed 19 runs.
Nepal’s bowlers delivered an excellent performance, dismantling Kuwait’s batting lineup with precision. Lalit Rajbanshi took 2 wickets for 17 runs in 4 overs, while Sandeep Lamichhane claimed 2 wickets for 22 runs. Captain Rohit Paudel bowled just 2 overs but picked up 2 crucial wickets for only 7 runs. Kushal Bhurtel, Sompal Kami, and Nandan Yadav also chipped in with one wicket each.
Earlier, after losing the toss, Nepal was invited to bat first and scored 141 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to a superb half-century by Kushal Bhurtel. The opener played a vital innings of 66 runs off 56 balls, hitting 3 fours and 3 sixes.
In the middle order, Dipendra Singh Airee was run out for 20 runs, while Gulsan Jha provided late fireworks, smashing 20 runs off just 6 balls. Jha hit three consecutive sixes off the final three deliveries of the 19th over, guiding Nepal to a respectable total.
For Kuwait, Anudeep Chenithamara and Naveen Raj took 2 wickets each, while Mohammad Aslam and Akif Farooq picked up one wicket apiece.
With this convincing victory, Nepal’s confidence has soared. The team will next face Japan in their second group-stage match on Friday.
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