Kathmandu: A superb five-wicket haul from Gulshan Jha and commanding knock from Aasif Sheikh powered hosts Nepal to an emphatic 81-run victory over Oman in the last match of the ongoing ICC World Cup League 2 (WCL-2) tri-series at the TU Cricket Stadium, Kirtipur, on Tuesday.

Opting to bat first, Nepal were bowled out for 256 on the penultimate delivery of their innings, anchored by opener Aasif Sheikh’s fluent 94.

In reply, medium pacer Gulshan Jha delivered a match-winning spell of 5-38 as Nepal bundled Oman out for 175 in 39.5 overs.

Nepal had earlier defeated the UAE in both their encounters but had suffered a 102-run DLS defeat against Oman in their first match of the series.

The hosts endured an early setback, losing veteran opener Binod Bhandari for a duck in the second over. However, Aasif—rested in the previous game against the UAE—steadied the innings with a composed 94 off 97 balls, striking seven fours and five sixes.

He was dismissed as the fourth wicket, caught by Hassnain Ul Wahab off Nadeem Khan.

The player-of-the-match Aasif also stitched together a crucial 123-run partnership for the second wicket with Arjun Kumal, who contributed a steady 48 off 87 balls, including four boundaries.

Aarif Sheikh provided late impetus with a brisk 43 off 24 balls, hitting one four and four sixes.

Dipendra Singh Airee, who had registered two consecutive half-centuries and a century in the previous matches, added 33 off 42 balls, while Gulshan Jha scored 17 and skipper Rohit Paudel managed nine.

For Oman, left-arm spinner Nadeem Khan was the standout bowler, claiming 3-41 in his 10 overs. Hassnain Shah and Shakeel Ahmed picked up two wickets each.

Nepal made changes to their lineup, bringing in Karan KC while leaving out Bhim Sharki and Sompal Kami from the side that played the previous match against the UAE.

Chasing 257, Oman lost wickets at regular intervals and were reduced to 80-4 by the 19th over, never recovering from the early blows.

Lower middle-order batter Vinayak Shukla top-scored with 36 off 41 balls, including three fours and two sixes, before being caught by wicketkeeper Bhandari off Gulshan.

Hammad Mirza contributed 34 off 51 balls with four boundaries but was dismissed by Karan KC, caught by Aarif Sheikh.

Openers Hassnain Ul Wahab (29) and Jatinder Singh (12), along with Hassnain Shah (14), Nadeem Khan (12) and Waseem Ali (10), were the other Oman batters to reach double figures.

Gulshan produced his career-best figures of 5-38 in a nine-over spell. Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane and Dipendra Singh Airee chipped in with a wicket each.

Standings

Despite winning four matches in the series, Nepal remain seventh with 18 points from 24 matches. Oman are third with 34 points from 28 games in the eight-team competition, while the UAE sit at the bottom with 14 points from 24 matches.

The United States lead the table with 36 points from 24 matches, followed by Scotland with 34 points from 28 games.