Kathmandu, Oct 17: Nepal has earned the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier title. The national team remained undefeated throughout the tournament and clinched the title with a commanding 124-run victory over Samoa in the final match held today at the Oman Cricket Academy Turf-1 in Al Amarat.
Batting first after losing the toss, Nepal posted a massive total of 211 runs for four wickets in the 20 overs. In reply, Samoa was restricted to just 87 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their 20 overs.
Aasif Sheikh led the scoring for Nepal with 69 off 41 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes. Dipendra Singh Airee also impressed with 53 runs off 33 balls, including two fours and four sixes. Lokesh Bam added 39, captain Rohit Paudel remained not out with 21, and Kushal Bhurtel contributed 17 runs. For Samoa, Daniel Brugess, Saumani Tiai, Darius Visser, and Noah Mead claimed one wicket each.
In Nepal’s bowling effort, Lalit Rajbanshi took three wickets, while Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Rohit Paudel took one each. Samoa’s top scorer was Sean Solia with 40 runs.
Before the final, Nepal had an impressive run in the tournament. In the group stage, it defeated Kuwait and Japan. During the Super Six round, Nepal defeated the UAE by one run, beat Qatar by five runs, and overcame Oman by 38 runs.
With this win, Nepal, along with the UAE and Oman, has been qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 9 to March 8, 2026.
