The Nepali national cricket team concluded its ICC Cricket World Cup League-2 home series on a high note, registering a comprehensive 122-run victory over the United States.
Defending a mammoth total, the hosts bundled out the visiting American side for 195 runs in 41.2 overs.
The visitors struggled to keep up with the required run rate as Nepal's bowling attack struck at regular intervals. Despite Sanjay Krishnamurthi’s valiant 56 runs, the rest of the American batting lineup failed to anchor the chase. Nostalgia-inducing contributions from Nosthush Kenjige with 29 runs and Shayan Jahangir with 27 runs briefly resisted, but top-order collapses cost them dearly.
Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane spearheaded the bowling assault, dismantling the opposition with three vital scalps. Spin partner Lalit Rajbanshi, alongside all-rounders Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulshan Jha, maintained intense pressure by picking up two wickets each, while veteran Sompal Kami contributed with a lone breakthrough.
Earlier, after being put to bat first at the TU Cricket Ground, Nepal posted a formidable total of 317 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their designated 50 overs. The foundation of this massive score was laid by stellar half-centuries from Ishan Pandey and vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee.
Pandey played a masterful knock of 84 runs off 83 deliveries, marking his consecutive second half-century in the tournament. He anchored the middle order through a crucial 110-run partnership for the third wicket alongside skipper Rohit Paudel, who departed after a well-made 46.
Before the middle-order explosion, opening batters Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel provided a solid launchpad with a 69-run opening stand. Sheikh missed out on a milestone, getting dismissed for 43, while Bhurtel chipped in with 29 runs.
Down the order, vice-captain Airee provided the late-innings fireworks, blasting a rapid 59 runs off just 36 balls, decorated with four boundaries and four maximums. Aarif Sheikh remained unbeaten on 17 to guide Nepal past the 310-run mark.
On the bowling front, the USA unit looked largely ineffective against the Nepali onslaught. Shubham Ranjane managed to claim two wickets, while Milind Kumar and Rushil Ugarkar took one wicket apiece.
With this resounding victory, Nepal caps off the domestic leg of the qualifiers with renewed momentum, laying down a strong marker for their upcoming international fixtures in the League-2 cycle.
