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Kathmandu, October 14 – Nepal maintained their composure to secure a close five-run victory over Qatar in a thrilling Super Six match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia & EAP Qualifier held in Al Amerat, Oman, on Monday evening.

After being asked to bat, Nepal scored 147 for nine in their 20 overs, with captain Rohit Paudel at the forefront. Paudel scored 58 off 42 balls, hitting seven boundaries and a six to stabilize the innings following early wickets. Opener Kushal Bhurtel was dismissed for six, and Aasif Sheikh soon after for 11 as Nepal found themselves at 25 for two within five overs.

Kushal Malla’s short appearance of eight was ended by Owais Ahmed, but Paudel received assistance from Dipendra Singh Airee, who scored 26 runs off 22 balls in a 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The middle order struggled following Paudel’s dismissal in the 17th over, as Daniel Louis and Mirza Baig each took three wickets, limiting Nepal to under 150. Gulsan Jha contributed a late 16 runs off eight balls, while Sompal Kami’s quick 14 helped Nepal achieve a strong total.

In response, Qatar began strongly, aided by a 79-run stand between opener Imal Liyanage and Zubair Ali. Liyanage batted boldly, scoring 56 runs from 35 balls with five boundaries and three sixes, while Zubair maintained the innings with 52 runs from 55 deliveries.

The match took a turning point when Sandeep Lamichhane entered the attack. The leg-spinner broke down Qatar’s middle order, taking five wickets for only 18 runs. His key dismissals, such as Liyanage, Muhammad Asim, and two stumpings by wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh, disrupted Qatar’s run chase.

Although it began well, Qatar fell from 97 for two to 142 all out in 19.5 overs. Nandan Yadav backed Lamichhane with two wickets, while Airee took one.