Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal entered the Super Six stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier 2025 as the winner of Group ‘B’, defeating Japan by five wickets in Al Amerat, Oman, on Friday.
Fielding first after winning the toss, Nepal restricted Japan, who had reached 97/2 in 12.5 overs, to 131 runs and chased down the target in 18 overs with five wickets remaining.
The qualifiers feature nine teams divided into three groups of three teams each. Two teams from each group advance to the Super Six stage, with group winners carrying forward two points.
Japan made a flying start as captain Kendel Fleming scored 60 off 46 balls and Eesam Rahman added 31 from 25 after Abhishek Anand was run out by Dipendra Singh Airee in the fourth over. However, Japan experienced a batting collapse after Fleming departed in the 14th over. Benjamin Ito Davis (17) was the only other batter to reach double digits.
Sandeep Lamichhane and Gulsan Jha took two wickets each for Nepal, while Sompal Kami and Nandan Yadav claimed one apiece.
In reply, Nepal added 36 runs for the first wicket in five overs. Aasif Sheikh scored 28 off 21 balls, while Kushal Bhurtel made a run-a-ball 21. Captain Rohit Paudel contributed 18 from 19 deliveries. Nepal came under brief pressure when Sundeep Jora (5) and Kushal Malla (4) fell in quick succession. However, Gulsan Jha (28) and Dipendra Singh Airee (14*) guided the team home to avoid any upset.
Shoma Slater took two wickets for Japan, while Reo Sakurano Thomas, S. Ravichandran, and Declan Suzuki claimed one each.
Nepal will face the UAE and Qatar, as well as two of Oman, Samoa and Papua New Guinea, in the Super Six stage. The top three teams after the Super Six round will qualify for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka.
