Nepal advance to Super Six

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Oct. 10: Nepal and Japan have booked their spots in the Super Six stage from Group B of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia Pacific Qualifiers.

Nepal kicked off their campaign with a commanding 58-run win over Kuwait on Wednesday night. Batting first, Nepal posted 141 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Kuwait were bundled out for 83 in 18.1 overs.

Opener Kushal Bhurtel anchored Nepal’s innings with a composed 66 off 56 balls, including three fours and three sixes—his 13th T20I half-century. Captain Rohit Paudel contributed 16 off 15, while Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulshan Jha chipped in with 20 runs apiece. Jha’s late blitz, featuring three sixes in the penultimate over, shifted momentum firmly in Nepal’s favour.

Kuwait’s bowling attack was led by Naveenraj Rajendran and Anudeep Chenthamara, who took two wickets each. Mohammad Aqif and Mohammed Aslam claimed one scalp apiece.

In Kuwait’s chase, opener Clinto Anto top-scored with 26 off 23 balls, but the side collapsed to 21 for 3 inside five overs. Dipendra Singh Airee’s direct hit to run out Anto proved pivotal. Yasin Patel (19) and Meet Bhavsar (11) were the only other batters to reach double figures.

Nepal’s bowlers were clinical. Lalit Rajbanshi, Rohit Paudel, and Sandeep Lamichhane bagged two wickets each, while Sompal Kami, Nandan Yadav, and Bhurtel picked up one apiece. Bhurtel’s all-round performance earned him the Player of the Match award.

On Thursday, Japan chased down Kuwait’s target of 178 with three balls to spare and five wickets in hand, levelling on points with Nepal. Kuwait had posted 177 for 6 in their 20 overs.

With two straight defeats, Kuwait are out of contention. Nepal and Japan will lock horns on Friday. Their encounter will be the super six  match.

The qualifiers feature nine teams divided into three groups. The top two sides from each group will progress to the Super Six stage.