Sports
Nepal Cricket Team Books Semi-Final Spot with Five-Wicket Victory Over Saudi Arabia
KATHMANDU, September 7, 2026 — Nepal secured a place in the semi-finals of the ACC Men's Premier Cup on Sunday, defeating Saudi Arabia by five wickets at the Bayuemas Cricket Oval in Kuala Lumpur. Set a target of 191 runs, Nepal completed the chase at 193-5 in 41 overs. Gulshan Kumar Jha remained unbeaten on 44 from 35 balls, while Rohit Kumar Paudel finished not out on 24 from 37 balls. Nepal's run chase progressed steadily. Openers Arjun Kumal and Aasif Sheikh added 28 runs before both were dismissed in close succession. Dev Khanal and Ishan Pandey then stabilized the innings with a 73-run partnership for the third wicket, bringing the score to 113-3. Pandey was dismissed at 125-4, and Dipendra Singh Airee fell five runs later, giving Saudi Arabia a brief opening. However, Jha and Paudel sealed the win with an unbeaten 61-run stand. Earlier, Saudi Arabia's innings also saw a pattern of recovery followed by collapse. Captain Waji Ul Hassan was dismissed for a duck in the second over, bowled by Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi. Abdul Waheed and Muhammad Atif then steadied the innings with a 94-run partnership for the second wicket. Waheed played aggressively, scoring 77 runs off 89 balls with 10 boundaries and two sixes, while Atif contributed 30 from 68 balls. Saudi Arabia reached 112-2 before Waheed was dismissed lbw by Rajbanshi in the 30th over, a turning point that triggered a collapse to 166-9 as Nepal's spin bowlers dominated the middle and lower order. Mohammed Hisham Shaikh added some resistance with 28 runs from 50 balls before being dismissed by Airee, and Sher Malla removed Zainul Abidin for 12. The last-wicket partnership between Ishtiaq Ahmad and Muhammad Saqib added 24 runs, with Saqib scoring 14 off 13 balls before being dismissed by Airee in the final over. Ishtiaq remained unbeaten on 10, and Saudi Arabia finished with 190 runs. Nepal's captain, Sandeep Lamichhane, led the bowling attack with figures of 3-19 from 10 overs, including two maidens. Airee took 3-43 in 9.2 overs, and Rajbanshi claimed 2-26 from 10 overs. Malla and Jha each took one wicket. Nepal's strategic decision to bolster its spin attack, replacing fast bowler Hemant Dhami with Malla, proved effective, as spinners accounted for nine of Saudi Arabia's ten wickets. This victory marks Nepal's third consecutive win in the tournament, following earlier successes against Bahrain and Malaysia, securing their advancement to the semi-finals.