Kathmandu: Skipper Rohit Paudel led from the front with a blistering half-century as Nepal posted 148-run target against Qatar in their second Super Six clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia Pacific Qualifiers at Turf 1 of the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman, Monday.

Paudel hammered a quickfire 58 off 41 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and a six, helping Nepal recover from a shaky start to reach 147-9 after being invited to bat first by Qatar.

Nepal lost openers Kushal Bhurtel (6) and Aasif Sheikh (11) cheaply followed by Kushal Malla (8) leaving the team reeling at 48-3.

Paudel then stitched together a crucial 62-run partnership with Dipendra Singh Airee, who contributed 26 off 22 balls. However, Airee’s dismissal at 110 triggered a middle-order collapse. Nepal lost three quick wickets, including the captain’s adding just six runs to slump to 116-7.

Late cameos from Gulshan Jha, who contributed 16 off 8 including two sixes, and Sompal Kami, who hit 14 off 9 including a six, helped push Nepal to a respectable total.

For Qatar, captain Mirza Mohammed Baig and Daniel Archer were the standout performers with the ball, picking up three wickets each. Mirza gave away 29 runs from his four overs bowling while Archer conceding just 22 runs in his three-over spell.

Nepal entered the Super Six stage with momentum, having edged out the UAE by one run in a nail-biting encounter on Sunday. They had earlier topped their group with wins over Kuwait and Japan—the latter of which carries over into the Super Six standings.