Nepal Sets Target of 318 Runs Against USA in ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2

Kathmandu. In the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 match held on Friday, Nepal has set a target of 318 runs for USA. Nepal, batting first after losing the toss, scored 317 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the stipulated 50 overs. The match, which was scheduled to start at 9:30 AM according to Nepali time, started a bit late due to rain as the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur was not dry. Nepal, invited to bat first after losing the toss, got a good start from openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh with a half-century partnership. Sheikh scored 43 runs off 57 balls with the help of 6 fours, while Bhurtel scored 29 runs off 39 balls. He hit 5 fours. After that, captain Rohit Paudel and Ishan Pandey handled Nepal's innings with a century partnership. Pandey contributed a team-high 84 runs. Facing 83 balls, he hit 8 fours and 1 six. Captain Rohit missed his half-century. He scored 46 runs off 59 balls with the help of 2 fours and 1 six. Dipendra Singh Airee played an explosive innings for the team and scored a half-century. He scored 59 runs in just 36 balls. He hit 4 fours and 4 sixes in the process. Gulshan Jha returned to the pavilion after scoring 15 runs off 12 balls. Arif Sheikh scored 18 runs off 10 balls. Sompal Kami was run out after scoring 5 runs in the final over. For USA, Shubham Ranjan took 3 wickets. Rusil Ugarkar and Milind Kumar took 1 wicket each. Today's match under the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2, considered important in the journey to qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup, is the last match of this series. This match holds great significance in the League 2 points table. At the end of this competition, the top four teams will secure a direct place in the 2027 ODI World Cup qualifiers, while the remaining teams will be pushed to a difficult playoff route.