Nepal's valiant effort with the bat, led by captain Rohit Paudel's gritty 109, wasn't enough as the United Arab Emirates chased down the 234-run target with 39 balls to spare, securing a five-wicket victory in Dubai.
After being asked to bat first, Nepal posted 233 runs in 50 overs, thanks largely to Rohit Paudel's determined century. Coming in at 26/2, Paudel anchored the innings with a composed 109 off 130 balls, striking 5 fours and 2 sixes. He found brief support from Aasif Sheikh (35 off 48) and Dipendra Singh Airee (23 off 28), but wickets kept falling at regular intervals.
Rohit also became first Nepali batter to score two centuries in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Paudel's first ODI century came on March 25, 2022, when he scored 126 runs against Papua New Guinea (PNG) in Kirtipur — a knock that still stands as Nepal’s highest individual ODI score.
His second century came three years, seven months, and 1,316 days later, underlining his consistency and perseverance at the international level.
Nepal's innings faltered in the final overs — from 210/6 they lost their last four wickets for just 23 runs. Zahid Ali was the pick of the UAE bowlers with 4 wickets for 41 runs, while Junaid Siddique (3/54) and Muhammad Rohid (1/37) also contributed.
In reply, UAE's chase was anchored by young opener Aryansh Sharma, who played a classy innings of 98 runs off 98 balls. His knock, decorated with 7 fours and a six, earned him the Player of the Match award.
Alishan Sharafu provided early momentum with a quickfire 45 off 26, and the pair added a 63-run opening stand in just eight overs. Despite a brief setback with three wickets falling in the middle overs, Sharma’s composure ensured the chase remained under control.
He received valuable support from Muhammad Waseem (26) and Rahul Chopra (15 retired hurt) as UAE reached the target comfortably in 43.3 overs, finishing at 237/5.
For Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane bowled tightly with 2/34 in 10 overs, while Karan KC (1/24) and Aarif Sheikh (1/15) chipped in.
