Singh’s fifth century sinks Nepal in League-2

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 30: Nepal suffered a 102‑run defeat under the Duckworth‑Lewis method in a rain‑affected ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 fixture against Oman at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, on Wednesday.

It was Nepal’s 14th loss in the competition, a setback to their bid to retain One‑Day International (ODI) status and secure a place in the ODI World Cup Qualifiers. The Rhinos remain seventh in the eight‑team standings with 14 points from 22 matches, having won six and lost 14.

Nepal must finish in the top six to retain ODI status for the next four‑year cycle, and in the top four to reach the World Cup Qualifiers. They trail sixth‑placed Canada by seven points and fourth‑placed Netherlands by 14, with 14 matches still to play. But defeat at home has left them in a precarious position.

Oman, electing to bat, piled up 305 for eight, powered by skipper Jatinder Singh’s blistering 130 off 96 balls — his fifth ODI century and second against Nepal. He struck 15 fours and five sixes before falling to Sompal Kami in the 35th over. Singh shared an 80‑run opening stand with Aashish Odedara (23), while Aryan Bisht (35) and Jiten Ramanandi (43) added a 52‑run partnership for the fifth wicket. Kami finished with four wickets, while Sandeep Lamichhane and Dipendra Singh Airee claimed two apiece.

In reply, Nepal faltered to 155 for seven in 36.5 overs when rain intervened, leaving them 102 runs adrift on DLS. Vice‑captain Airee struck a run‑a‑ball 62, his seventh ODI half‑century, but lacked support. Bhim Sharki made 28 before becoming the fifth wicket, having earlier reached 1,000 ODI runs. Arif Sheikh added 14, while skipper Rohit Paudel (10), Basir Ahmed (1), Kushal Bhurtel (1) and Aasif Sheikh (19) all fell cheaply.

Oman’s spinners did the damage early. Left‑arm tweaker Shakeel Ahmed trapped Bhurtel lbw in the second over and finished with 2‑16 from eight overs. Nadeem Khan was the pick of the attack with three wickets, while Muhammad Imran and Wasim Ali chipped in with one apiece.

Nepal quick Kami admitted afterwards that the poor start with the bat cost them the match. “There was no strong batting partnership. As we tried to save wickets, the run rate slowed. The adverse weather also affected us,” he said.Player of the match Singh revealed he had turned to spin early, given the conditions, to finish the game quickly. He dedicated his century and award to his wife.

Oman strengthened their grip on third place with 31 points from 26 matches. Nepal face the UAE next on May 1 before a double‑header against Oman on May 5.