Nepal Defeats USA by 122 Runs in Cricket World Cup League 2

Kathmandu. In a match of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 held on Friday, Nepal defeated America by 122 runs.

Chasing a target of 318 runs, America could only manage to score 195 runs for the loss of all wickets in 41.2 overs.

Sanjay Krishnamurthy contributed 56 runs for America. Similarly, Nosthush Kenjige scored 29 runs. Sanjay Jahangir scored 27 runs while Shehan Jayasuriya contributed 26 runs.

Sandeep Lamichhane took 3 wickets in 10 overs for Nepal. Lalit Rajbanshi and Gulshan Jha took 2 wickets each. Sompal Kami and Deependra Singh Airee took 1 wicket each.

Earlier, batting first after losing the toss, Nepal had 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 little late due to the delay in drying the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur because of rain. Nepal, invited to bat first after losing the toss, got off to a good start with a half-century partnership between openers Kushal Bhurtel and Asif Sheikh.

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 took charge of 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 out on a half-century. He scored 46 runs off 59 balls with the help of 2 fours and 1 six. Deependra Singh Airee played a explosive innings and scored a half-century for the team. He scored 59 runs in just 36 balls. In the process, he hit 4 fours and 4 sixes.

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 last over.

Shubham Ranjane took 3 wickets for America. Rusil Ugarkar and Milind Kumar took 1 wicket each.

This match of 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 direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup qualifiers, while the remaining teams will be pushed into a difficult play-off route.