Kathmandu, September 6: Nepal have secured a place in the semi-finals of the ACC Premier Cup after registering their third consecutive victory in the tournament.
Nepal defeated Saudi Arabia by five wickets in Sunday’s match, chasing down a target of 191 runs in 41 overs for the loss of five wickets. Gulshan Jha remained unbeaten on 44 runs, while captain Rohit Paudel finished not out on 24.
Ishan Pandey contributed 40 runs, while Dev Khanal scored 39. Aasif Sheikh added 20 runs and Arjun Kumal made 15.
For Saudi Arabia, Istiaq Ahmed and Muhammad Atif took two wickets each, while Mohammad Hisham claimed one wicket.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, were bowled out for 190 runs in 49.2 overs. Abdul Waheed was their top scorer with 77 runs. Mohammad Atif contributed 30, while Mohammad Hisham Sheikh scored 18.
Sandeep Lamichhane was the standout bowler for Nepal, taking three wickets while conceding only 19 runs in his 10 overs. Lalit Rajbanshi picked up two wickets for 26 runs in 10 overs. Dipendra Singh Airee took three wickets, while Sher Malla claimed one.
Nepal had previously defeated Bahrain and Malaysia in the tournament. With three wins from three matches, Nepal have qualified for the semi-finals with one group-stage game still remaining.
Nepal will face Hong Kong in their final group-stage match on Tuesday.
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