Kathmandu: Nepal secured the ICC T20 Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier title with a dominant 124-run victory over Samoa in the final match held at the Al Amerat Ground in Oman on Friday.
Chasing a target of 212 runs, Samoa managed to score only 87 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Sin Sonia top-scored for Samoa with 40 runs. For Nepal, Lalit Rajbanshi took three wickets, while Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane picked up one wicket each.
Earlier, after losing the toss, Nepal posted a formidable 211 runs for four wickets in 20 overs. Asif Sheikh scored 69 runs, his highest individual score in T20 internationals, while Dipendra Singh Airee contributed 53 runs. Likewise, Lokesh Bam made 39 and captain Rohit Paudel added 21 runs.
With this win, Nepal remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, finishing at the top of the Super Six stage with 10 points from five matches. Oman finished second with 8 points, while the UAE secured third place with 6 points.
Following the conclusion of the qualifiers, all teams participating in next year’s ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka have now been confirmed.