CHENNAI, Feb 5: Nepal registered a commanding 6-wicket victory over Canada in a warm-up match ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Chasing a target of 162, Nepal reached 162 for 4 with 12 balls to spare. Opener Asif Sheikh gave Nepal a blistering start, scoring 58 runs off just 29 balls, including 6 fours and 3 sixes, before retiring out in the spirit of the practice game.
Nepal lose to Canada by four wickets in T20 series
While fellow opener Kushal Bhurtel managed 12 runs, middle-order batsman Sandeep Jora steadied the innings, contributing 44 runs off 30 balls with 4 fours and a six. Lokesh Bam added 5 runs.
In the closing stages, Gulshan Jha and Dipendra Singh Aire guided Nepal to victory, scoring unbeaten 31 off 25 balls (5 fours) and 9 off 6 balls respectively. Nepal secured the win in 18 overs.
For Canada, opener Navneet Dhaliwal top-scored with 41 runs, while Shreyas Movva struck an unbeaten 38 off 19 balls and Jaskaran Singh hit 21 off 11 balls to take Canada to a respectable 161 for 6 in their 20 overs.
Nepal’s star spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was the standout bowler, taking 2 crucial wickets for just 14 runs in 4 overs. Part-time bowler Kushal Bhurtel also claimed 2 wickets for 26 runs, while Sompal Kami and Nandan Yadav took 1 wicket each.
