Nepal beat PNG to keep World Cup Qualifiers hope alive

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 10: Nepal displayed an impressive performance in both batting and bowling to register a 52-run victory over Papua New Guinea (PNG) at the final trilateral series under ICC World Cup League-2 at TU Cricket Ground, Kathmandu, Thursday.

The 16th victory in the League-2 consolidated Nepal’s chance of securing ODI status and kept the direct qualification to World Cup Qualifiers alive by remaining in the top three at the League-2 table.

After earning two points today, Nepal stands in the fifth position with 34 points from 33 matches. With a hundred per cent result in the remaining three matches, Nepal will advance to World Cup qualifiers securing third place in the standings. 

League-2 champions Scotland and Second-placed Oman have already booked their tickets to the qualifiers. Namibia is in the third spot with 39 points playing all of its matches. The USA is in the fourth position with 35 points. 

Put in to bat first at TU Cricket Ground, Nepal rode on to a maiden ton of Aasif Sheikh to smash its highest ODI total of 297 runs losing ten wickets in 49.1 overs. Leg spinners Sandeep Laichhane scalped four wickets to pack up the visitors in 47.1 overs with 245 runs on the scoreboard.

Lamichhane conceded 37 runs and played one maiden over in his spell of 10 overs. Dipendra Singh Airee also spent 37 runs to claim two wickets from his spell of 9.1 overs. 

Kushal Malla dismissed one PNG batter.

Norman Vanua scored the highest 60 runs for the tourists. Vanua clubbed three fences and four sixes off 55 deliveries he faced before being run out in the 47.1 overs. 

Opener Tony Ura smashed the half-ton from 44 balls that included nine boundaries. Skipper Assad Vala cracked two boundaries and two maximums in his knock of 53-ball 42.

Aasif scores maiden tonLikewise, Opener Kiplin Doriga scored 26 runs off 34 balls, all-rounder Riley Hekure hit 20 runs off 17 balls and Charles Amini added 14 runs off 43 balls in the 28th loss of PNG.

Earlier opener Aasif bludgeoned with a run-a-ball 110 for his maiden ODI century. 

Aasif completed his hundred from 101 balls that included ten boundaries and two sixes. He became the fifth batter of Nepal to hit an ODI ton. Sheikh completed his half-ton from 47 balls smashing two boundaries and five sixes.

He cracked 12 boundaries and two sixes before being out in 37.4 with 207 runs on the scoreboard. Before touching his milestone, Aasif survived two catches in the fourth ball of the third over and the fifth ball of the ninth over. He also completed his 1000 ODI runs. Captain Rohit Paudel was the first batter to hit the 1000 mark for Nepal. 

Aasif put on the 110-run first-wicket partnership with Kushal Bhurtel to give Nepal a dream start. Bhurtel hit six fences to score 45 runs off 56 balls.

Aasif then put on a 67-run partnership with Rohit Paudel for the fourth wicket. Skipper Paudel added 30 runs off 39 balls. 

Bhim Sharki was another top contributor for Nepal with 38-ball 44 knocks. 

Aarif Sheikh (15) and Gyanendra Malla (11) were the other batters to add double figures on the board.

Semo Kamera produced his career-best bowling claiming five wickets from his 9.1 overs spell. He conceded 38 runs. Riley Hekure finished with a figure of 3-50 for PNG.