Nepal's dream to qualify for division one in World Cricket League has been deferred after losing to Kenya by five wickets in the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 match in Windhoek, Namibia on Friday.
Kenya won the toss and elected to field first. Stepping in the field to bat first, Nepal's top order tumbled pretty cheaply. Openers Sagar Pun (12) and Subash Khakurel(2) both returned to pavilion early.
After a shaky start, captain Paras Khadka and Vice-captain Gyanendra Malla shared a 48-run partnership before Khadka was sent packing at 20 runs. Nepal set a target of 195 runs in 49.5 overs. Vice-captain Gyanendra Malla was the top scorer for Nepal scoring 91 runs off 116 balls.
Chasing what looked like a tough target, Kenyan opener NK Patel (7) was sent packing in the second over and third in line NN Odhiambo left the crease with only 2 runs.
But Nepal couldn’t cash in on the good start, with Kenya reaching the target with 5 wickets remaining. IA Karim was the top scorer for Kenya hitting 75 runs off 94 balls.
A win today would have meant a promotion to division 1 for Nepal and an opportunity to play four-day Intercontinental Cup and the ICC Workd Cricket League Championship for the next three years.
However, Nepal still received praise on social media for maintaining their division two status. After losing to Uganda in their very first match, Nepal pulled off three successive victories over the Netherlands, Namibia and Canada.
Last year, Nepal was relegated to division three status after failing to stay on the top of the point table.