Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal secured its second consecutive victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final, defeating Malaysia by six wickets at the TU International Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Malaysia scored 165 runs for the loss of nine wickets in its allotted 20 overs. Nepal achieved the target with six wickets in hand and with 12 balls to spare.
Malaysia’s opening duo, Syed Aziz and Zubaidi Zulkifle, provided a strong start by scoring 58 runs in just 5.5 overs. Aziz displayed an outstanding performance, scoring 68 runs off 49 balls, while Zulkifle contributed 24 runs from 16 balls. However, the rest of the Malaysian batters couldn’t capitalize on the strong start as the visitors kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Sharvin Muniandy and Vijay Unni managed to score 13 runs each, but the other Malaysian batters failed to reach double digits.
Abinash Bohora shone with the ball for Nepal, claiming four wickets, while Sandeep Lamichhane, Gulsan Jha, and Rohit Poudel each took one wicket.
Nepal made light work of the chase, with the opening partnership of Kushal Bhurtel and Aaasif Sheikh adding 49 runs for the first wicket. Bhurtel contributed 43 runs from 25 balls, including one four and two sixes. Kushal Malla continued the momentum left by Bhurtel, scoring a brisk 65 from 34 balls, smashing seven sixes and two fours. Aaasif Sheikh chipped in with 32 runs from 23 balls, while Sandeep Jora remained unbeaten with 18 runs from 16 balls.
Muhammad Amir took three wickets for Malaysia, while Pavandeep Singh claimed one.
The victory secured Nepal’s spot in the semifinals, along with Oman, which defeated Singapore by 22 runs in the first match of the day, from Group ‘A’. Both teams have collected four points from their first two matches, setting the stage for a crucial showdown on Thursday to determine the group winner.
In Group ‘B,’ Bahrain emerged victorious, defeating Hong Kong by 20 runs, while the UAE achieved a five-wicket win against Kuwait with 34 balls remaining. UAE has four points from two matches, while Bahrain and Hong Kong China have two points each.
