Nepal Clinches victory against Namibia in Tri-Nations T20I series
Opting to bowl first upon winning the toss, Namibia managed to limit Nepal to a total of 180 runs, taking eight wickets in the process.
KATHMANDU: In a nail-biting encounter, Nepal emerged victorious against Namibia by a slender margin of three runs in the third match of the ongoing triangular T20I series at the TU Cricket Ground, keeping their hopes alive for a spot in the final.
After setting a challenging target of 181 runs, Nepal managed to restrict Namibia to 177 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
Despite a shaky start, Namibia rallied in the middle overs with a crucial partnership between captain Schmidt and Frylinck. However, Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee and Abhinash Bohora struck vital blows in the 16th and 17th overs, turning the tide back in Nepal’s favor.
In the final over, with Namibia needing 12 runs, Nepal’s Karan KC stepped up, conceding only a single run in the first two balls. Karan then dismissed Green in the third ball and claimed Trumpelmann’s wicket in the fifth ball. Although Scholz managed a boundary in the last ball, Nepal held on for the win.
Green remained unbeaten on 23 runs off 13 balls, while Trumpelman scored 14 runs off 12 balls for Namibia.
Earlier, Nepal posted a competitive total of 180 runs for the loss of eight wickets, with Kushal Malla leading the charge with a half-century. Malla’s partnership of 85 runs with Arif Sheikh for the fifth wicket bolstered Nepal’s innings.
Nepal faced early setbacks, losing their openers Anil Shah and Aasif Sheikh in the second over. Despite captain Rohit Paudel’s brief cameo and Anil Shah’s aggressive innings, Nepal found themselves at 64 runs for the loss of four wickets by the 7.2-over mark.
With this crucial victory, Nepal secured two points, bringing them level with Namibia in the standings. Meanwhile, the Netherlands leads the table with four points from two matches.
Next up, Nepal will take on the Netherlands on Saturday, while Namibia will face off against the Netherlands on Sunday.
The stage is set for an exciting final showdown on Tuesday as the top two teams vie for supremacy in the series.
