#1 42(31)* vs Canada | Feb 14, 2018
The most thrilling 50-over match. Period.
There isn’t much left to hear about this match. Nepal not only defeated Canada but also ed a World Cup Qualifier berth.
Nepal won the toss and elected to field first. Canadian opener Srimantha Wijeyratne carried his bat for 50 overs, scoring 103* off 152 balls to take Canada’s total to 194/8.
195 runs for a batting line-up as fragile as Nepal’s, that too in a virtual knock-out game, was a stiff target. Plus, Nepal’s three most trusted batsmen, Paras Khadka, Gyanendra Malla and Sharad Vesawkar; all of them getting out cheaply added insults to injury.
Wickets kept falling and the Nepalese side was struggling at 144/9 in 42.1 overs with 51 runs required to win. With only 47 balls and more importantly only one wicket left, a win for Nepal seemed nothing but fictional.
However tough the situation was, Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane kept going with Karan hitting a few boundaries here and there. The partnership was so good that the equation after 48 overs was: 21 runs required off 12 balls and the match could go into anyone’s favor with Canada still slightly ahead.
