Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal concluded its ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Dubai with a four-wicket defeat to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday.
With this loss, Nepal suffered defeats in all four matches of the tri-series. It lost twice to the United States — by 106 runs and four wickets — and to the UAE by five wickets in the first fixture between the two teams.
Batting first at the ICC Academy Ground, Nepal posted 239 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Chasing a target of 240, the UAE reached 243 for six with five balls remaining.
Nepal’s innings got off to a shaky start after opener Kushal Bhurtel (2) fell in the second over. Bhim Sharki (48) and Aasif Sheikh (34) steadied the innings, but Nepal stumbled again after Aarif Sheikh was run out and captain Rohit Paudel (2) departed cheaply. Aarif (30) and Dipendra Singh Airee (37) provided some resistance before Kushal Malla added late runs with a 51-ball 45.
For the UAE, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, and Dhruv Parashar took two wickets each, while Zahid Ali claimed one.
In reply, the UAE lost both openers early — Aryansh Sharma for a duck and Alishan Sharafu for 18. However, Muhammad Shahzad anchored the innings with a composed 96 off 123 balls. Captain Muhammad Waseem contributed 76 off 73, while Sohaib Khan (29) and Harshit Kaushik (13) chipped in before Dhruv Parashar (2 not out) and Zahid Ali (5 not out) saw the team home.
Karan KC took three wickets for Nepal, while Nandan Yadav, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Sandeep Lamichhane picked up one each.
The US finished the series unbeaten with four wins, while the UAE won two and lost two and Nepal remained winless.
After winning all four matches of the series, the US climbed to the top of the eight-team League 2 table with 36 points from 24 matches, six ahead of second-placed Scotland. Nepal sits seventh with 12 points from 20 matches, while the UAE is eighth with 10 points from 20 matches.
