Kathmandu: Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee struck a superb century as Nepal edged the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by six runs in DLS method in an entertaining ICC World Cup League 2 (WCL-2) tri-series clash at the TU Cricket Stadium, Kirtipur, on Friday.

Opting to bat first, Nepal posted 289-7 in their allotted 50 overs. In reply, UAE were restricted to 248-8 after being set a revised target of 255 from 38 overs, following a rain interruption of nearly an hour with the score at 36-1 in 4.1 overs.

Nepal had earlier defeated UAE by 37 runs in the series opener but suffered a 102-run defeat to Oman on Wednesday.

Airee continued his fine form, registering his third consecutive half-century-plus score in the series—including two against UAE and one against Oman. Batting at number five, he produced a match-defining knock of 100 off 94 balls—his second ODI century—featuring 13 boundaries and a six before being run out off the final delivery of the innings.

Opener Binod Bhandari, returning to the ODI side after nearly four years, also impressed with a composed 56 off 79 balls, striking seven boundaries.

Nepal rested regular openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh, handing opportunities to debutant Arjun Kumal and veteran Bhandari. Nandan Yadav and Lalit Rajbanshi were also drafted in, replacing Karan KC and Basir Ahamad from the side that lost to Oman.

However, Kumal fell for 11, caught by Aryansh Sharma off Ajay Kumar, while Bhim Sharki departed for a duck. Bhandari then shared a crucial 67-run stand for the third wicket with captain Rohit Paudel, who scored 39 off 48 as Nepal reached 96-3.

Gulsan Jha added valuable runs with a brisk 44 off 38 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes, while Aarif Sheikh chipped in with 11.

For UAE, medium pacers Junaid Siddique and Ajay Kumar claimed two wickets apiece. Siddique conceded 58 runs with one maiden, while Ajay returned figures of 2-47 with two maidens.

In the chase, Muhammad Shahdad led the fightback with a well-made 65 off 72 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes, before being trapped lbw by Sandeep Lamichhane. He also shared an 80-run partnership with Harpreet Singh, who scored 41 off 40.

UAE needed 15 runs off the final over, but Nandan Yadav held his nerve, conceding just eight runs to seal the win for Nepal.

Khuzaima Tanveer provided late fireworks with a blistering 49 off 26 balls, including two boundaries and five sixes, before being caught by Airee off Yadav. Akshdeep Nath remained unbeaten on 36 off 32, with two boundaries and two sixes.

Openers Aryansh Sharma (33 off 32) and Adeeb Usmani (14 off 13) also made useful contributions.

For Nepal, leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-36 in eight overs, including a maiden. Sompal Kami and Nandan Yadav claimed two wickets each.

In the ongoing three-year ICC World Cup League 2 cycle featuring eight teams, Nepal sit seventh with 16 points from 23 matches, having recorded seven wins, 14 losses, and two no-results. Oman are third with 31 points (14 wins, nine losses, three no-results), while UAE remain bottom with 12 points from 23 matches. The United States lead the table with 36 points from 24 matches, followed by Scotland with 30 points from the same number of games.