Nepal held off the United Arab Emirates by six runs via the DLS method in another tense ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 contest at TU International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
After winning the toss and batting first, Nepal posted 289 for 7 in 50 overs, powered by Dipendra Singh Airee's century. Rain later revised the UAE's chase to 255 in 38 overs, and the visitors finished on 248 for 8 despite a late fight.
The win gave Nepal another important result against the UAE in the home tri-series after their earlier 37-run victory over the same opposition. It also came as a strong response after the defeat to Oman.
Airee was the centrepiece of Nepal's innings with 100 off 94 balls, hitting 13 fours and a six. The hundred made him only the second Nepali batter after Rohit Paudel to score two ODI centuries. His first ODI hundred had come in March 2022, when he made 105 against Papua New Guinea in Kirtipur.
The innings also continued a strong run of form. In Nepal's previous two matches, Airee had already struck half-centuries against both the UAE and Oman before turning that form into a three-figure score here.
Binod Bhandari supported him with 56 off 79, while Gulshan Jha added a brisk 44 off 38. Rohit Paudel made 39, and Nepal recovered well after early setbacks to push close to 290.
Arjun Kumal, playing on ODI debut, made 11, while Bhim Sharki fell for a duck. Aarif Sheikh also chipped in with 11 as Nepal built steadily through the middle overs before accelerating late.
A key phase of the innings came through Airee and Gulsan's sixth-wicket partnership. The pair added 102 runs in just 78 balls to lift Nepal strongly in the closing overs. Both were dismissed at the end of the innings, with Gulsan falling off the penultimate ball and Airee run out off the final delivery.
For the UAE, Junaid Siddique and Ajay Kumar took 2 wickets each. Haider Ali and Khuzaima Tanveer picked up one apiece.
The chase remained alive deep into the innings. Aryansh Sharma made 33, Muhammad Shahdad top-scored with 65, and Harpreet Singh struck 41. Akshdeep Nath stayed unbeaten on 36, while Khuzaima nearly turned the match with a late 49 off just 26 balls.
But Nepal's bowlers kept finding breakthroughs. Sandeep led the attack with 3 for 36 in 8 overs, while Sompal Kami and Nandan Yadav claimed 2 wickets each. The late wickets of Khuzaima Tanveer and Junaid Siddique sealed the result as the UAE fell just short.
It was another narrow, high-pressure win for Nepal in front of their home crowd, and one built on Airee's milestone century, Sandeep's control, and the bowlers' nerve at the end.
