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Nepal notched up their fourth consecutive win in the ongoing tri-nation series as they beat UAE at the Mulpani Cricket Ground, Kathmandu.
Nepal won the toss and asked UAE to set a target. The latter did not have a steady start to their innings, losing both their openers for just 28 runs inside three overs.
Vritiya Aravind and Asif Khan (18) then put up a decent partnership to consolidate after early damage. Nepal’s bowlers, however, kept picking up wickets at regular intervals. UAE were only able to stitch small partnerships.
Yet, that proved to be useful as they ended up with a challenging total of 164/7 from their 20 overs. Vritiya Aravind played anchor at the top with 45 runs off 51 deliveries.
Basil Hameed gave them a much-needed boost towards the end. He smashed 45 vital runs off just 19 balls at a phenomenal strike rate of 236.84. Sompal Kami and Abinash Bohara were the pick of the bowlers for Nepal, claiming two wickets each.
Defending the target, UAE had a dream start, reducing Nepal to 11/3 inside three overs. However, Aasif Sheikh (62) and skipper Rohit Paudel brought them back into the chase with a 99-run stand under pressure. Jawadullah managed to provide UAE with the key breakthrough, dismissing Aasif in the 16th over.
Zahoor Khan then sent Rohit back as well. The Nepal skipper scored 47 runs. It looked like the UAE had sealed the deal with these two crucial wickets. However, Dipendra Singh Airee smashed a brilliant unbeaten 15-ball 40, striking at 266.66. His phenomenal knock stole the game from UAE as Nepal emerged victorious in the final over with five wickets to spare.
Overall, it was a hard-fought and thrilling contest for both sides but a heart-breaking defeat for UAE eventually.
Nepal continues its dominant run at the top
Nepal have now beaten both Hong Kong and UAE twice in the tri-nation series. They now have four wins, with eight points and a net run rate (NRR) of 1.975.
UAE are second with two points, while Hong Kong, having lost all three games, are at the bottom of the table.
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