Nepal beat UAE to win Premier Cup and Qualify for Asia Cup

Nepal won the ACC Men’s Premier Cup on Saturday after beating the United Arab Emirates by 44 runs in the final in Kuala Lumpur, securing a place in the 2027 Asia Cup.

Nepal, who won the toss and elected to bat at the Bayuemas Oval, posted 313 for nine from their 50 overs before restricting the UAE to 269 in 49.1 overs.

Opener Aasif Sheikh led Nepal’s innings with 102 off 106 balls, hitting eight fours and four sixes. It was his second century in one-day internationals.

Sheikh and Arjun Kumal gave Nepal a strong start, putting on 97 for the opening wicket. Kumal was run out for 43 off 63 balls, having hit six fours.

Sheikh then combined with captain Rohit Paudel for a 68-run partnership for the third wicket. Paudel scored 40 off 44 balls before being caught behind while attempting to drive a delivery from Khuzaima Tanveer.

Paudel and Gulsan Jha added another 67 runs for the fourth wicket. Jha reached his half-century from 36 balls and finished with 52 off 38, including three fours and four sixes.

Sandeep Jora made seven, Karan KC one and Dipendra Singh Airee 18, while captain Sandeep Lamichhane was dismissed for one. Bashir Ahmad provided a late boost with 15 off four balls, including two fours and a six. Lalit Rajbanshi remained unbeaten on one.

The total was Nepal’s highest against the UAE in an ODI, surpassing their previous best of 289 in Kirtipur in May. It was also Nepal’s third-highest ODI total.

In reply, the UAE struggled to maintain the required run rate despite a century from Rahul Chopra, who remained unbeaten. Tanis Suri scored 42 and captain Harpreet Bhatia made 33.

Karan KC took three wickets for Nepal, while Lalit Rajbanshi claimed two. Sandeep Lamichhane, Rohit Paudel, Gulsan Jha, Bashir Ahmad and Dipendra Singh Airee took one wicket each.

The UAE had entered the final unbeaten, while Nepal had lost their final group-stage match to Hong Kong, China, by 15 runs after winning their first three matches.

Nepal also struggled with the bat in the semi-final, being bowled out for 147 against Oman. Their bowlers, however, restricted Oman to 87 to secure a 60-run victory.

The tournament, organised by the Asian Cricket Council, offers the winner a place in the 2027 Asia Cup. Nepal are the defending champions of the 50-over Premier Cup.

In the 2023 edition, hosted by Nepal, the hosts had beaten the UAE by seven wickets in the final to win the tournament for the first time and qualify for the Asia Cup.