Kathmandu, Oct 18: Nepal achieved a historic milestone by winning the ICC T20 World Cup Asia-Pacific Qualifiers, remaining unbeaten in all six matches and securing the championship. In the final match on Friday in Oman, Nepal defeated Samoa by a massive 124-run margin.
Batting first after losing the toss, Nepal posted 211 for 4 in 20 overs, their second-highest score in the tournament. Opener Asif Sheikh starred with 69 runs off 41 balls, hitting four sixes and seven fours, marking his 10th T20I half-century and surpassing 1,600 career T20I runs. Partner Kushal Bhurtel added 17 runs in a 63-run opening stand. Middle-order batsman and vice-captain Dipendra Singh Aire contributed 53 runs off 33 balls, while captain Rohit Paudel remained unbeaten on 21. Lokesh Bam finished aggressively with 39 not out off just 12 balls.
In reply, Samoa managed only 87 for 7, falling far short of the target. Opener Sin Solia top-scored with 39, but others failed to make significant contributions. Nepal’s bowlers dominated, with Lalit Rajbanshi taking 3 wickets for just 13 runs, Karan KC claiming 2, and captain Paudel and Sandeep Lamichhane chipping in with one each.
Nepal advanced from the initial round into the Super 6 with wins over Kuwait and Japan, then claimed thrilling victories over UAE by one run and Qatar by five runs. They also beat host Oman by 38 runs, finishing the Super 6 stage with 10 points and topping the table to secure qualification for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. This marks Nepal’s third overall and second consecutive T20 World Cup qualification, following appearances in 2014 and 2024.
Oman, finishing second in the Super 6 with 8 points, also qualified for the World Cup, while UAE secured the third spot with 6 points. Qatar (4 points), Japan (2), and Samoa (0) failed to advance, with Samoa losing all four Super 6 matches.
Nepal’s unbeaten run, combined with the tournament’s highest and lowest margin victories, highlighted their dominance. The Asia-Pacific Qualifiers conclude with the final lineup of 20 teams confirmed for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
People's News Monitoring Service