Nepal A pushed Tasmania into the final over before suffering a two-wicket defeat in the opening one-day match of their Australian series on Wednesday.
Defending 192, Nepal A claimed eight wickets and left Tasmania needing 12 runs with only two wickets remaining. Matthew Kuhnemann's unbeaten 23 eventually carried the hosts to 193 for eight in 49.2 overs.
Gabe Bell led Tasmania’s chase with 60 from 78 deliveries, hitting six fours and one six. Raf MacMillan contributed 32 from 51 balls, while Justin Galeotti and Will Prestwidge added 24 and 23 respectively.
Nepal made an encouraging start with the ball. Aakash Chand bowled Nitesh Samuel for two before Rijan Dhakal removed Tim Ward for 12, reducing Tasmania to 19 for two in the fifth over.
Pawan Sarraf dismissed Prestwidge lbw for 23, but Bell anchored the recovery. Deepak Dumre eventually had Bell stumped by Anil Sah after the batter had completed his half-century.
Dumre also removed Galeotti for 24, while Shahab Alam dismissed MacMillan and Billy Stanlake. The latter’s departure for a duck left Tasmania struggling at 181 for eight in the 45th over.
Kuhnemann, however, resisted Nepal’s late push. He faced 48 balls for his unbeaten 23 and guided Tasmania across the line alongside Kasey Barton, who finished without scoring from ten deliveries.
Shahab claimed 2 for 45 from ten overs, while Dumre returned 2 for 32 from 9.2 overs. Chand conceded only 18 runs in six overs for his wicket, with Dhakal and Sarraf also taking one each.
Nepal fail to build on opening stand
Earlier, Nepal A were dismissed for 192 in 43.3 overs after being sent in to bat.
Openers Mayan Yadav and Trit Raj Das provided a promising foundation with a 55-run partnership. Yadav scored 32 from 55 balls with four boundaries, while Das top-scored with 37 from 63 deliveries, hitting three fours and one six.
Nepal were unable to convert the solid beginning into a commanding total as wickets fell regularly through the middle overs.
Kushal Bhurtel made 12, while captain Anil Sah contributed 11. Kushal Malla attempted to rebuild the innings with 29 from 34 balls, and Deepak Dumre added 18.
Pawan Sarraf remained unbeaten on 22 from 35 deliveries, but Nepal were bowled out with 6.3 overs unused.
Stanlake was the standout bowler for Tasmania, taking 4 for 21 from ten overs. His spell included two maidens and carried an economy rate of 2.10. Prestwidge and MacMillan claimed two wickets each.
The defeat leaves Nepal A with missed opportunities in both innings. Their batters could not take full advantage of the opening partnership, while Tasmania escaped after Nepal’s bowlers had brought the match back into contention.
Nepal A will next face South Australia on September 4 before meeting New Zealand A in their final one-day match on September 6.
