Nepal’s national cricket team has secured a spot in the upcoming T20 World Cup after a decade-long absence. They clinched their qualification by defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with an eight-wicket victory at Kathmandu’s Mulpani Maidan on Friday. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in the United States and the West Indies in June 2024.
Nepal’s last appearance in the T20 World Cup was in Bangladesh in 2014. In their successful pursuit of UAE’s target score of 135 runs at Moolpani ground, Ashif Shaikh led the way with an impressive 63 runs. Captain Rohit Paudel contributed 35 runs, Gulsan Jha added 22, and Kushal Bhurtel chipped in with 11 runs.
Nepal’s Kushal Malla played a crucial role by taking three important wickets to restrict UAE to a modest score when they batted first. He bowled three overs and conceded only 11 runs while securing three wickets. In addition, Sandeep Lamichhane claimed two wickets, while Sompal Kami and Rohit Paudel each took one wicket.
Oman also secured a place in the T20 World Cup during the qualifying matches held in Kathmandu.
With the inclusion of Nepal and Oman, a total of 18 teams have been selected to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, where they will compete against each other for cricketing glory.