Nepal concede humiliating 106-run defeat against US

KATHMANDU: Nepal resumed its ICC World Cup League 2 campaign on a disappointing note, suffering a 106-run thrashing at the hands of the United States in the ongoing UAE tri-series match in Dubai on Sunday.

Despite an impressive run in the T20 format over the past month, when Nepal defeated West Indies in a bilateral T20 series and qualified for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup by winning the East Asia and the Pacific Qualifier, Nepal’s performance in the ODI format remained dismal, with the team struggling in both batting and bowling departments.

Chasing a target of 263 runs, Nepal were bowled out for just 156 in 39.1 overs. Nepal’s chase got off to a disastrous start as opener Kushal Bhurtel was caught behind off the second ball for a duck. Although Bhim Sarki and Aasif Sheikh tried to stabilize the innings, Nepal soon lost Sarki for 29 with the team total at 69. Aasif was dismissed shortly after for 37.

Nepal failed to build any meaningful partnerships and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Captain Rohit Paudel was dismissed for just 2 runs, while Aarif Sheikh fell for 20 runs and Gulshan Jha departed cheaply. Dipendra Singh Airee top-scored for Nepal with 40 runs.

Harmit Singh was the standout performer for the US, taking six wickets for just 29 runs in 8.1 overs. Shubham Ranjane picked up two wickets.

Earlier, Nepal won the toss and elected to field first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The USA posted a total of 262 for six in 50 overs. Opener Smit Patel top-scored for the US with 75 runs. Milind Kumar remained unbeaten at 70 off just 50 balls, while Saiteja Mukkamalla scored 42 runs. Sumbam Ranjane contributed 19 runs while Harmit Singh remained unbeaten at 16 runs.

Nepal’s death bowling once again proved costly as they conceded 32 runs in the final two overs. Sompal gave away 13 runs in the 49th over, while Karan KC leaked 19 in the last.

Sandeep Lamichhane took two wickets for Nepal, giving 56 runs in 10 overs, while Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee and Aarif Sheikh claimed one wicket each.

This was Nepal’s 10th defeat in the League 2 campaign. With just 12 points, Nepal is in seventh place on the table, while the USA have climbed to the top with 30 points and a superior net run rate.

Nepal play its next match of the tri-series against the UAE on Thursday.