Nepal secured a vital 81-run win over Oman in ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 at TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, with Aasif Sheikh's 94 and Gulshan Jha's five-wicket haul shaping the result.
Batting first after winning the toss, Nepal were bowled out for 256 in 49.5 overs. Aasif led the innings with 94 off 97 balls, striking seven fours and five sixes, and gave Nepal the platform they needed after Binod Bhandari fell for a duck in the second over.
Aasif and Arjun Kumal added 123 for the second wicket to rebuild the innings. Arjun, playing only his second ODI, made 48 off 87 balls with four fours. After Aasif fell six short of a century, Dipendra Singh Airee added 33 and Gulshan made 17, but Nepal lost wickets regularly through the closing overs.
Aarif Sheikh then gave the innings a late push with 43 off 24 balls. He struck three straight sixes off Hassnain Shah in the final over before becoming the last wicket to fall. For Oman, Nadeem Khan took 3 for 41, while Shakeel Ahmed and Hassnain Shah picked up two wickets each.
Oman began the chase with intent, but Nepal kept breaking partnerships. Nandan Yadav removed captain Jatinder Singh for 12 in the seventh over and then ran out Siddharth Bukkapatnam in the same phase to push Oman back early.
Hasnain Ul Wahab made 29, Hammad Mirza scored 34 and Vinayak Shukla added 36, but Gulshan took control through the middle and lower order. He finished with 5 for 38 in 9 overs, his second five-wicket haul in ODI cricket and another one against Oman after his five-for in Canada two years ago.
Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Dipendra Singh Airee and Nandan Yadav took one wicket each as Oman were bowled out for 175 in 39.5 overs.
The win was especially significant for Nepal because it was their first ODI victory over Oman in Kirtipur after three previous home defeats to the same opposition. It also lifted Nepal to 18 points from 24 matches, though they remained seventh in the eight-team League 2 table, while Oman stayed third with 31 points from 28 games.
