Nepal’s valiant effort against Scotland fall short by a whisker

 

Nepal’s quest for a third successive victory over hosts Scotland in the  ICC  men’s Cricket World Cup League 2  fell short by a whisker in Dundee,Scotland.

Chasing a record  total of 324 runs,Nepal was on the cusp of a remarkable victory needing seven runs in the last over.

Experienced pacer Safyaan Sharif bowling the last over  saved the day for  Scotland by taking the last two wickets including the  wicket of dangerous Karan  KC when it mattered most.

It was an epic thriller that saw teams fortunes fluctuate in the last five overs. The game took a thrilling and dramatic turn,following Nepal’s two crucial batting   partnerships late in the innings.

Having been  on the back foot for the most part,they turned the tide in their favor, putting themselves in striking distance of success.However, the 2 run defeat turned out to be a  case of so near yet so far  for them in the end.

They deserve praise for their fighting spirit and resilient performance,despite the narrow defeat.This  is the second time they have scored 300 plus runs.

The 321 runs  scored by them is their  highest in the fifty overs format.They surpassed the total of 310,which they had scored against Oman in 2023.

Bowling first, the Nepali bowlers did not quite live up to expectations,failing to contain batters from scoring runs freely  on a batting friendly pitch.

They could only  take   five wickets with speedster KC and allrounder  Dipendra Singh Airee sharing 2 wickets each,while Lalit Rajbhansi claimed 1.

Ace right-arm leg spinner Sandeep  Laimchhane,Sompal Kami  and the rest went wicketless.

In the run chase,Nepal’s top order batters   failed to consolidate the innings as they lost their wickets cheaply. Consequently they were reduced to 34/3 and seemed destined to a big defeat. 

At that point,I bet no one  in their wildest imagination thought that they would score a record breaking total and come so close  to a famous victory.

The fight back started with a 73 runs fourth wicket partnership between Bhim Sarki and  Aarif Sheikh.

 

Despite pressure,top scorer Sarki batted brilliantly to go on top of the bowlers .He executed his shots fluently to score 73 runs with the help of 8 fours.Sheikh contributed a handy 39,which included five fours.

The seventh wicket partnership between  Sompal Kami and Airee yielded 105 runs, providing the innings a significant lift and setting up  an opportunity for themselves to complete an improbable victory .

Kami’s blistering and destructive knock of   64 runs off 44 balls consisted of  four towering sixes  and 3 fours, while Airee’s 56 included 2 fours.

With the arrival of KC  at the batting crease,there was  still hope for victory. He looked aggressive,hitting 1 six and 1 four in his innings of 17 off 10 balls,however his departure midway through the final over virtually put an end to their valiant effort. Rajbanshi could have been the team’s hero, but he was clean bowled for a duck with a ball to spare .

Hats off to Team Nepal  for their incredible effort.They must reflect on  their performance and  push themselves with a positive intent and rock solid determination to wrap up the series with a victory over the Netherlands on Tuesday, June 10.