Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal suffered a one-wicket defeat against Oman in the ICC World Cup League 2 tri-series ODI held in Canada on Wednesday.
Invited to bat first after losing the toss, Nepal endured another top-order collapse and could only manage 221 runs in the allotted 50 overs. Oman chased down the target with one wicket and one ball to spare, despite Gulshan Jha’s all-round performance.
This is Nepal’s second defeat in as many games in the ongoing tri-series, having suffered a 103-run loss in the first match against the US. This was Nepal’s first straight ODI loss.
Nepal was three down with just 31 runs on the board in 13.1 overs. Aarif Sheikh and Captain Rohit Paudel added 83 runs for the fourth wicket to stabilize the innings. Aarif scored 35 off 88 balls, while Rohit made 60 from 72 balls. Gulshan Jha smashed a quick-fire 53 off 35 balls, including three fours and five sixes, to ensure Nepal had a competitive total. Sompal Kami contributed 20 runs off eight balls, while Aasif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, and Sandeep Lamichhane each scored 11.
Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, and Aqib Ilyas took three wickets each for Oman, while Shakeel Ahmed and Shoaib Khan claimed one wicket each.
Oman made a strong start in the chase, adding 75 runs for the first wicket. Kashyap Prajapati scored 36 from 52 balls, while Jatinder Singh contributed 41 from 49 balls. Aqib Ilyas scored 29, and Pratik Athavale and Shoaib Khan contributed 26 runs each.
The match came down to a thrilling finish, with Oman needing 10 runs in the last three overs. Gulshan bowled a wicket-maiden 48th over, and Karan KC conceded just two runs in the 49th. Oman needed eight runs to win in the final over. Shakeel and Kaleemullah each hit a four off Sompal Kami to take Oman home with one wicket and one ball to spare.
Gulsan took five wickets for Nepal, while Karan claimed two, and Aarif and Sandeep Lamichhane had a wicket each to their names.
Nepal will play its third match of the series against Canada on September 22.
