Nepal thump Oman to close in on ACC Premier Cup semifinal

By Anjan Khadka,Kathmandu, Apr. 22: Nepal marked its 50th ODI match with a resounding 84-run win over Oman on Friday to close in on the semifinals of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup. 

With two consecutive wins, Nepal is just one win away from the last four after topping the Group A table with four points from two victories. Malaysia and Oman trail in second and third place respectively with one win.

Chasing the victory target of 311, Oman was all out scoring 226 runs in 46.3. Spinner Sandeep Lamichhane and Pacer Karan KC picked three wickets each in the dismissal of Oman. 

Mohammad Nadeem top scored with a half-century knock of 84-ball 65 and Sandeep Goud added 56-ball 46 to chip in for the visitors.  

After the visitors were reduced to 99/5 in 22.5 overs, Nadeem and Goud put on a 96-run partnership to provide some resistance. 

Dipendra Singh Airee broke the partnership for Nepal making Goud catch by Sompal Kami at long-on in the 41.1 over. Then KC holed Nadeem out from the hand of Captain Poudel in the next over. 

Oman made a medium start from Opener Jatinder Singh and Kashyap Prajapati pairing for a 32-run first-wicket stand. 

Fastest 100 wickets

Spinner Lalit Rajbanshi dismissed opener Singh (12-ball 15) to break the first wicket partnership for Nepal. 

Oman’s remaining top order then became the victim of the lethal bowling of Lamichhane. Leg-spinner Lamichhane trapped wicketkeeper Adeel Shafique (33-ball 13) to claim his 100th ODI wicket from 42 matches. With Adeel’s wicket in 12.3 overs, Lamichhane became the world’s quickest 100-wicket-taker in ODI. He surpassed Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, who claimed 100 wickets off 44 matches. 

He bowled out Captain Zeeshan Maqsood for a duck from his googly in the last ball of the 13th over. The world record breaker picked his third trapping Opener Prajapati (35-ball 25) in 14.1 over. 

Airee made Ayan Khan (28-ball 29) catch out by wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh in 22.5 overs as Oman tottered to 99/5. Fayyaz Butt (21-ball 19) was another double-digit scorer for the visitors. 

Highest ODI total

Earlier, All rounder Kushal Malla cracked his first ODI century as Nepal scored its highest-ever ODI total of 310 runs. After being put on to bat first, Nepal collected the highest ODI total losing eight wickets in 50 overs at TU Cricket Ground. 

The last big total Nepal accumulated was 297 runs against Papua New Guinea during the ICC World Cup League-2 held at TU Ground last month.

Nonetheless, Nepal did not have a good start losing Opener duo Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh for a duck in the fourth over. Pacer Bilal Khan trapped Bhurtel for a leg before in the second ball of the third over. Kaleemullah clean bowled Aasif in 3.4 overs.

Skipper Paudel and Bhim Sharki put on the 54-run partnership for the third wicket in order to stabilize Nepal’s innings. 

Nevertheless, Fayyaz Butt top-edged Paudel to be caught by Prajapati at the point in the first ball off 18 over. 

Paudel added 23 off 34 balls. Sharki hit 33 runs before being stumped out by wicketkeeper Sahafique off Spinner Maqsood’s ball. He faced 56 balls and clubbed four boundaries and one six.

Malla’s maiden ton Left-hander Malla then cruise control Nepal’s innings by hammering nine fences and ten sixes in his blitzkrieg 64-ball 108. 

He smashed his maiden century off 59 balls and became the fastest Nepali batter to touch the ODI hundred milestone. 

He also became the sixth Nepali cricketer to score an ODI hundred. The player of the match Malla said he was playing his natural game. “As per Coach Monty Desai’s instruction, I waited for the loose balls to strike.”   

Before Malla, Skipper Rohit Paudel smashed a century off 91 balls against Papua New Guinea in 2022. 

Malla paired with Aarif Sheikh to add 75 runs for the fifth wicket. Jatinder Singh made Aarif hole out to Kaleemullah for his first ODI wicket from his first ball in the 32nd over. Aarif garnered 29 runs off 

43 deliveries. 

Malla then joined with Dipendra Singh Airee (7) to add a brisk 25-run stand for the sixth wicket. 

Before going out in 40.4 overs with 221/7 on the board, Malla collaborated with Sompal Kami for the  49-run stand. 

Kami, who was playing second fiddle, stole the show after Malla’s departure leading Nepal past 300. 

Kami completed his second ODI half-century off 39 balls and scored 48-ball 63 for his career-best batting figure in any international match. His previous best figure was 61 against the Netherlands in 2018. 

Kami added 28 runs with Sandeep Lamichane (8) and 61 runs with Karan KC, who hit one six and two fours in his unbeaten run-a-ball 29.

Spinner Ayaan Khan claimed two wickets while Bilal , Kaleemullah, Maqsood, Fayyaz Butt, Aqub Ilyas and Jatinder Singh took one wicket apiece.

KC said Nepal overcame the pressure put on by the opponent at the start. “However, all the players confidently played their part. We were confident on crossing 250 runs in 

any condition.”

“We are in need of a good partnership. Then Malla played a special inning. The partnership with Sompal also helped Nepal score a big total.”