Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: A resilient half-century by Dipendra Singh Airee propelled Nepal to a three-wicket victory over UAE in the 7th Place Playoff of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 in Harare on Sunday.
Electing to field first after winning the toss, Nepal restricted UAE to 181 runs in 46.5 overs. Despite losing six wickets within just 20.5 overs, Nepal managed to defeat UAE with 40 balls to spare.
After the early dismissal of opener Asif Khan for a duck, UAE formed a partnership of 63 runs for the second wicket. However, wickets began to fall at regular intervals thereafter. Vriitya Aravaind top-scored for UAE with a 75-ball 44, while Rohan Mustafa contributed 35 runs from 56 balls. Basil Hameed and Aryansh Sharma made valuable contributions with 29 runs and 28 runs, respectively.
Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane claimed three wickets each for Nepal, while Pratish GC, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Gulshan Jha took one wicket apiece.
Nepal lost opener Arjun Saud early in the chase, with only two runs on the board. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, and Nepal found itself at 63/6 in 20.5 overs when Kushal Bhurtel departed after scoring 35 runs. Dipendra Singh Airee rescued Nepal with an unbeaten 79 off 85 balls. He received support from Sandeep Lamichhane, who remained not out with 23 runs from 37 balls.
Mohammad Jawadullah claimed three wickets for UAE, while Junaid Siddique, Ali Naseer, Sanchit Sharma, and Rohan Mustana each took one wicket.
Nepal will now face Ireland in the 7th Place Playoff Final on Tuesday.
