Karan KC’s late blitz seals historic 1-wicket win for Nepal over Scotland

KATHMANDU: Nepal edged out the hosts by a dramatic one-wicket margin in their opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 Tri-Series on Monday in a thrilling encounter at the Forthill Cricket Ground in Scotland.

Chasing a daunting target of 297, Nepal clinched victory off the final ball of the innings, with the winning run coming via a wide delivered by Scottish bowler Mark Watt.

With just one run needed off the last ball, the extra delivery sealed a dramatic and historic win for Nepal.

The standout hero of the match was lower-order batter Karan KC, whose explosive unbeaten knock of 65 runs off 41 balls—featuring 3 fours and 4 sixes—steered Nepal to victory from a tense position.

Opener Kushal Bhurtel set the tone early with a quickfire 53 off 44 balls, including 11 boundaries. He and fellow opener Aasif Sheikh (20) shared a solid 72-run stand for the first wicket.

Contributions in the middle order came from Gulshan Jha (42 off 30), Bhim Sharki (40), and captain Rohit Paudel (37), all playing key roles in keeping Nepal in the hunt.

Scotland’s bowling attack was led by Brandon McMullen, who picked up 3 wickets. Michael Leask and Jack Jarvis claimed 2 wickets each, while Jasper Davidson took 1.

Earlier, after being put into bat by Nepal, Scotland posted a strong total of 296/7 in their 50 overs. Charles Tear was the top scorer with 80 runs, supported by Finlay McCreath (55), captain Richie Berrington (40), Matthew Cross (39), and Michael Leask (18).

Nepal’s bowling effort was led by Karan KC, Sompal Kami, and Rijaan Dhakal, each claiming 2 wickets, while leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane took 1.

Nepal Climb in Points Table
With this thrilling win, Nepal have moved up from the bottom to seventh place in the League 2 standings, with 8 points from 13 matches.

The victory reignites Nepal’s hopes of finishing in the top four and advancing to the ICC World Cup Global Qualifier.

Scotland, despite the loss, remain in fourth position with 20 points from 17 matches.

The third team in this Tri-Nation Series is the Netherlands, making this a crucial set of fixtures on the road to ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 qualification.