Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal defeated the UAE by eight wickets to level the two-match Underlight T20I series 1-1 on Tuesday.
Electing to field first after winning the toss at the TU International Cricket Stadium, Nepal restricted the UAE to 128 for the loss of eight wickets. The hosts met the 129-run target in 15.5 overs, losing two wickets.
UAE won the first match of the series by six wickets under the DLS method.
The visitors came under early pressure as pacer Hemant Dhami removed UAE captain Muhammad Waseem for a golden duck. Although Adeeb Usmani scored 20 off 22 balls, the UAE lost Alishan Sharafu (1) and Harpreet Singh (1) cheaply. Akshdeep Nath scored an attacking half-century to steady the innings. He remained unbeaten on 53 off 42 balls, while Muhammad Arfan scored 32 off 36 balls. Other UAE batters failed to reach double digits, with four dismissed without scoring.
Sandeep Lamichhane was the pick of the Nepali bowlers, taking three wickets for just three runs in his four-over spell. Dhami claimed two wickets, while Nandan Yadav and Shahab Alam had one each.
Chasing 129 to level the series, Nepal got off to a solid start as opener Kushal Bhurtel regained his form just ahead of the crucial WCL 2 tri-series. Bhurtel hit an unbeaten 84 off just 57 balls. Fellow opener Kushal Malla scored 19 off 17 balls. Although Nepal lost debutant Santosh Yadav (1) cheaply, captain Dipendra Singh Airee scored 23 off 17 balls to take Nepal home.
Nilansh Keswani and Muhammad Arfan claimed a wicket each for UAE.
