Rohit Paudel’s fifty lifts Nepal to 147 against Qatar

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel returned to form with a timely half-century as his side posted 147/9 against Qatar in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia & EAP Qualifier 2025 Super six match at Al Amerat on Monday.

Paudel's fluent 58 off 42 balls, featuring seven fours and a six, was his first T20I fifty in over a year — ending a lean run that stretched across 15 innings. He held the innings together after early setbacks left Nepal wobbling at 25 for 2 inside the powerplay.

He found solid company in Dipendra Singh Airee (26 off 22) as the pair added 62 runs for the fourth wicket, rebuilding the innings and setting the stage for a late flourish. However, once Airee was dismissed at 110 in the 16th over, Nepal lost four wickets for just six runs, stalling their momentum.

Super Six, Match 2·ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia & EAP Qualifier 2025

T20I

NepalNEP

147/9(20 ov)

QatarQAT

142(19.5/20 ov, T:148)

NEP won by 5 runs

Earlier, Qatar won the toss and asked Nepal to bat. Openers Kushal Bhurtel (6) and Aasif Sheikh (11) fell cheaply, while Kushal Malla's rough patch continued with a scratchy 8 off 10 balls. Once again, Gulshan Jha (16 off 8) provided a brisk cameo, hammering two sixes to lift the run rate. Sompal Kami (14 off 9) also chipped in with quick runs late on, but Qatar’s bowlers hit back strongly at the death on a sluggish surface.

For Qatar, Daniel Louis (3/22) and Mirza Mohammed Baig (3/29) were the standout bowlers, striking regularly to prevent Nepal from accelerating. The pacers used cutters and slower balls effectively to restrict scoring in the final overs.

In a tactical change, Mohammad Aadil Alam replaced spinner Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi in the playing XI — adding pace depth to Nepal's attack.

Nepal will now look to defend 147 with early breakthroughs in the powerplay.