Nepal kept their World Cup dreams alive Monday with a nail-biting five-run victory over Qatar in the ICC T20 World Cup Asia and EAP Qualifiers.
Defending 147, Nepal bowled out Qatar for 142 with just one ball to spare in a match that went down to the wire.
The win catapulted Nepal alongside host Oman at the top of the Super-6 table, both sitting on six points. With two matches left, Nepal has a real shot at reaching the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next February.
Sandeep Lamichhane turned in a match-winning spell, ripping through Qatar’s batting order with five wickets. The leg-spinner bowled 3.5 miserly overs, giving up just 18 runs. The performance took him to 250 career wickets across ODIs and T20s. Nandan Yadav chipped in with two wickets.
Qatar’s openers gave their side a fighting chance. Imal Liyanage tore into the Nepal attack, smashing 56 off 35 balls with five boundaries and three sixes. Zubair Ali played the anchor role, grinding out 52 from 55 deliveries. Their 79-run opening stand had Qatar cruising through 10 overs, but once the partnership broke, the middle order crumbled.
Earlier, Qatar won the toss and sent Nepal in to bat.
Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel led from the front with a gritty 58 off 41 balls, laced with seven fours and a six. He looked set for more before getting out in the 17th over. Dipendra Singh Airee chipped in with 26 off 22, putting together a vital 52-run stand with his skipper.
The top order had a rough day. Kushal Bhurtel scraped six, Aasif Sheikh made 11, Kushal Malla got eight, while Sandeep Jora and Adil Ansari managed just one and two respectively.
When Nepal looked in danger of falling well short, Gulshan Jha provided some late fireworks with two big sixes in his 16-run knock. Sompal Kami added a quick-fire 14 off nine before a run-out on the last ball ended Nepal’s innings at 147 for nine.
Qatar’s Mirza Baig and Daniel Archer did the damage with three wickets apiece.
Nepal now turns its attention to Wednesday’s showdown with Oman before wrapping up the Super-6 stage against Samoa on Friday. The stakes are simple—finish in the top three and punch your ticket to the World Cup.
If Nepal makes it, they’ll become the first team in their history to qualify for back-to-back T20 World Cups. It would also be their third appearance overall in the tournament.
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