KATHMANDU, April 23: Nepal ‘A’ suffered a comprehensive 75-run defeat against Oman in the first one-day match at home after a middle-order collapse derailed a strong start.
In Wednesday’s match at Mulpani, Nepal ‘A’ began the two-match ODI series with a loss, falling 1–0 behind. Chasing a challenging target of 281 set by Oman at the Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground, Nepal ‘A’ looked in control early on but were eventually bowled out for 210 runs in 44.4 overs.
Despite a solid start backed by top-order batters, the middle order completely failed. Nepal were well-placed at 177/2 in 34.2 overs, but lost eight wickets for just 33 runs.
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Captain Anil Kumar Sah and Ishaan Pandey were the only notable contributors, both scoring half-centuries. Ishaan made 52 off 62 balls, including three fours, while Anil scored 50 off 64 balls with six boundaries.
Nepal got off to a strong start with an 84-run opening partnership between Anil and Trit Raj Das. Mujibur Ali broke the stand in the 18th over by dismissing Anil, and Das followed soon after for 31 off 48 balls. Ishaan and Dev Khanal then added a crucial 86 runs for the third wicket.
However, Dev was dismissed for 43 in the 35th over, leaving Nepal at 177/3. The innings quickly unraveled after that. Ishaan fell soon after, and the rest of the batting lineup crumbled. Sandeep Jora managed just 11 runs, while no other batter reached double figures. From 188/3, Nepal ‘A’ collapsed to lose seven wickets for just 22 runs.
For Oman, Shakeel Ahmed took three wickets, while Nadeem Khan and Mujibur claimed two each, and Hannan Ali picked up one.
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat, Oman posted 280/9 in their 50 overs. Two of their batters scored half-centuries, helping set a formidable total.
Mujibur Ali led the scoring with 72 runs, while opener Jatinder Singh contributed 58. The pair, along with other top-order contributions, laid a strong foundation. Jatinder and Aaqib Ilyas (Ashish Odedra mentioned earlier) shared a 79-run opening stand before wickets fell in quick succession.
Mujibur and Ayaan Khan (Hasir Dafedar) then built a crucial 94-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Hasir scored 46 off 41 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes, while Mujibur struck four fours and three sixes in his 72 off 85 balls.
A 50-run partnership between Mujibur and Vinayak Shukla for the sixth wicket further strengthened Oman’s total. Vinayak scored 25, while Jatinder Ramanandi remained unbeaten on 17.
For Nepal ‘A’, Akash Chand took four wickets, Santosh Yadav grabbed two, while Shahab Alam, Sher Malla, and Rashid Khan claimed one each.
Nepal ‘A’ will face Oman again in the second match on Friday, hoping their middle order remembers it’s supposed to bat, not disappear.
