Nepal Secures Impressive Victory Over Top-Ranked USA, Strengthening Their Position in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2
Nepal delivered an impressive win against top-ranked USA in the final match of the home series under the ICC Cricket World Cup League-2. Setting a target of 318 runs, Nepal’s spinner Sandeep Lamichhane took 3 wickets in 10 overs, bowling out the USA for 195. Nepal clinched victory in 3 out of 4 matches against Scotland and the USA and currently holds fifth place with 24 points. Kathmandu, May 22.
In the concluding game of the home series under ICC Cricket World Cup League-2, Nepal recorded a commanding win over the USA. With solid top-order batting, Nepal achieved their highest total in a home ODI match. Consistent opening batsmen Kushal Bhurtel and Asif Sheikh maintained their good form from the previous two games. Together, they put up a 69-run opening partnership in 12.5 overs. Kushal scored 29 off 39 balls, while Asif made 43 off 57 before getting out.
With a strong start, the middle-order batsmen capitalized on their opportunity to play freely. For the third wicket, Ishan Pande and captain Rohit Paudel forged a century partnership for the second consecutive game against the USA. Their 110-run stand left Nepal in a commanding position. Ishan scored 84 runs off 83 balls, registering a half-century for the second back-to-back match, while Rohit contributed 46 runs off 59 balls. Following this, vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee delivered an aggressive half-century, helping Nepal surpass the 300-run mark. Dipendra scored 59 off 36 balls.
Gulshan Jha scored 15, Sompal Kami 5, and Nandan Yadav 1, while Arif Sheikh remained unbeaten on 18. In bowling, the USA’s Shubham Ranjane took 2 wickets, while Milind Kumar and Rushil Ugarkar claimed one each. However, Nepal’s spinners dominated the bowling front, restricting the USA to a modest total. Chasing 318, the USA was bowled out for 195 in 41.2 overs. Sandeep Lamichhane continued his excellent form, conceding just 30 runs in 10 overs and taking 3 wickets. Fellow spinners Lalit Rajbanshi and Dipendra Singh Airee shared 2 wickets each. Pace bowler Gulshan Jha took 2 wickets and Sompal Kami claimed 1.
Sompal dismissed opener Smit Patel in the first over, putting the USA on the back foot without scoring a run for their first wicket. Shayan Jahangir and Shehan Jayasuriya tried to stabilize the innings with a half-century partnership, but Sandeep broke through in the 11th over. Shayan was out for 27 and Shehan scored 26. After that, the USA lost wickets rapidly. Captain Saiteja Mukkamala scored 22, Milind Kumar 12, and Shubham Ranjane 2 runs while Harmit Singh was dismissed without scoring. Middle-order batsman Sanjay Krishnamurthy showed composed batting but could not take the team to victory. With Nepal’s spinners dominating, the USA lost 7 wickets for just 95 runs.
Sanjay and Nothush Kenjiges formed a 70-run partnership for the eighth wicket. Sanjay scored 56 and Nothush made 29 before getting out. Finally, Shaurab Netrawalka was dismissed for 10 by Gulshan Jha. The USA was bowled out for 195, sealing Nepal’s victory. With this result, Nepal won 3 of the 4 matches in the series against Scotland and the USA. After concluding the home series, Nepal stands fifth in the points table with 24 points from 11 wins in 28 matches.