Nepal has been qualified for the T20 World Cup cricket tournament /
नेपाल १० वर्षपछि टी–२० विश्वकपमा छनोट
after 10 years by registering a brilliant 8-wicket win against the UAE.
Nepal completed the normal target of 135 runs with the loss of 2 wickets with 17 balls remaining. Next year's T-20 World Cup Qualifier to be held in West Indies and America has been confirmed.
After winning the toss and batting first, the game ended in a 'low score' after the Nepalese spinner shone at Mulpani ground in Kathmandu.
Nepal has fulfilled its dream of playing the World Cup for the second time by following this 'low scoring total' at home.
When UAE captain and opener Mohammad Wasim started aggressively, it seemed that he would get a challenging target in the decisive match. However, even after losing the toss, Nepal fulfilled its World Cup dream by bowling cheaply and batting sparingly after the spinner dominated. 5 moments were decisive in securing the World Cup ticket.
Run out in the third over, Wasim's wicket
After winning the toss, UAE, which was able to play continuously at Mulpani ground, started aggressively against Nepal. After scoring 12 runs in the first over, 5 runs in the second over and 12 runs in the third over, UAE scored 29 runs in the first three overs and indicated that they will take the game to a higher target. However, the third over of the match became an important turning point for Nepal.
In 3.1 overs, Nepali bowler Sompal Kami ran out opener Khalid Shah on his own ball. In the fourth ball of this over, dangerous opener Mohammad Wasim was caught out by Sompal through Karan KC. Wasim scored 26 runs in 16 balls. Nepal was back in the game since they managed to take these two important wickets in this over.
Sandeep's 18th over and Malla's 20th over
After the opener got out, the Nepali spinner continued to control the game. In 9.6 overs, Nepal's leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane took the wicket of Ashif Khan, another dangerous player from UAE. After that, Nepal reached a place where it dominates the game.
After the opener got out, Vritya Arvind tried to partner with one player after another but did not get support. In the middle 12th over, Kushal Malla did not allow UAE to freeze in the game by giving only one run. In 13.4 overs, Alishan Sarafu, who was partnering with Vritya, was caught out by Sompal Kami for 16 runs.
In the 16th over, when captain Rohit Poudel came with the ball himself, Ali Nasar was dismissed by Kushal Bhurtel. In the 17th over, Arvind tried to put pressure on Abhinash Bohora by scoring 17 runs. So far, UAE was in a position of 5 wickets after adding 118 runs in 17 overs.
However, in the first ball of the 18th over, Sandeep not only bowled Wasil Hamid, he managed to keep this over a maiden. In the 19th over, Bohro scored 11 runs again. UAE reached the position of losing 7 wickets after scoring 129 runs in 19 overs.
Generally, it is a practice to use fast bowlers in the death overs. But captain Rohit took the risk and handed the ball to part-time spinner Kushal Malla.
When the captain trusted, Malla scored 64 runs in the first ball and caught Vritya out through Kushal Bhurtel.
In the last ball of this over, Junaid Siddiqui was run out by Rohit Paudel and Ashif Shaikh. After losing two wickets in this important over, UAE added only 5 runs and presented a target of 134 runs to Nepal.
Aashif Shaikh's Finishing Knock - From Start to Finish
The counter goal was not challenging. However, the challenge for Nepal was to complete this low scoring match in moderation on a pitch that supported the spinner.
As usual, openers Kushal Bhurtel and Ashif Shaikh gave Nepal a good start. After scoring 26 runs in three overs, opener Bhurtel got out in the tune of playing big shots.
Even though it was not necessary to play an aggressive shot, after he got out, Nepal took over. Ashif, the other opener, batted calmly and scored a boundary on a bad ball. He continued to put pressure on the bowler by taking a couple of runs in the middle.
Ashif played patiently with Gulsan Jha, who came at number three, and captain Rohit Paudel, who came at number four, and took the game from opening to victory.
Sheikh played 51 balls bravely and added 64 runs on a pitch that supported the target and the spinner without the need to play big shots. During this he hit 7 fours and 1 six. Due to this inning, he also got the player of the match award.
The decision to send Gulson to number three
After the opener Bhurtel got out after playing an aggressive shot, Nepal could have come under pressure like when UAE's Wasim got out. Therefore, Gulsan Jha, who had performed impressively against UAE in the previous important matches, was sent to bat at number three.
On the one hand Ashif patiently and on the other hand Gulson showed restraint and scored 22 runs in 24 balls. During this he hit three fours, but according to his nature he did not take any risk for a six.
By sending him at number three, the partnership to patiently increase the team's runs also became another turning point of the game.
Captaincy shifts and maturity
Chasing a target of 135 runs, after Gulson got out in 9.3 overs, Nepal was in a position of losing 2 wickets after adding 67 runs.
After this, captain Rohit Paudel himself came to the field to bat without sending the aggressive Kushal Malla. He and Shaikh rotated the strike continuously hitting bad balls for boundaries.
After playing while maintaining the run rate, Nepal never looked under pressure. While Sheikh scored 64 runs, captain Rohit scored an unbeaten 34 off 20 balls, during which he hit two fours and two sixes.
Rohit left his mark in every position as he showed ingenuity in playing the spinner after looking at the captaincy shift and the pitch condition, bowling himself and sending Malla in the death over to take wickets. This role of his became an important reason for Nepal to open the way to the World Cup after 10 years. Nepal, which recently played in the Asia Cup, will now participate as a Test nation and will be able to play in the T20 World Cup next year in the West Indies and America.
In addition, the possibility of winning the title of the Asian Qualifying Tournament is also alive. For that, Nepal will compete against Oman in Kirtipur on Sunday. Oman reached the final after defeating Bahrain by 10 wickets on Friday.
