Nepal Beat Oman by 10 Runs — Airee and Paudel's 139 Outlasts a 158-Run Oman Stand at Al Amerat

At 190 for 1 in the 38th over, with Jatinder Singh and Hammad Mirza both well set, Oman needed 91 from 72 balls and looked the likelier side. Twelve overs later they had lost by ten runs. Nepal's spinners and their fielders in the deep took four wickets in less than four overs, and Oman never got the partnership going again.

It was the second time in a week these sides had met at Al Amerat, and Nepal won both. Six days ago they won by 113 runs. This one was much closer, and it was decided in the last twelve overs of each innings, when both sides lost wickets quickly. Nepal lost six for 42 and still had enough. Oman lost four for 42 at the worst possible moment.

Nepal batted first and started slowly. Shah Faisal had Aasif Sheikh caught for 7 in the fifth over, and Dev Khanal and Ishan Pandey took the score to 62 for 1 at the 18-over drinks break. Khanal reached fifty from 60 balls, but Samay Shrivastava had both Pandey and Khanal stumped by Vinayak Shukla within four overs. Nepal were 99 for 3 in the 26th over.

Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee changed the innings. Airee did most of the early scoring, reaching fifty from 46 balls with three sixes, while Paudel built slowly and took 61 balls for his fifty. They added 139 in 120 balls. When Airee was caught behind off Faisal in the 46th over, Nepal were 238 for 4 and heading for 300.

They didn't get there. Faisal took three more after Airee, one of them Karan KC out hit wicket, and Jay Odedra took three. Paudel was the seventh wicket to fall, for 80 in the 49th over, and the last six went for 42. Faisal finished with 5 for 57 from eight overs. A total of 280 felt short of what Nepal could have made.

Lalit Rajbanshi had Hasnain Ul Wahab caught for 15 in the ninth over, and then Jatinder Singh and Hammad Mirza batted for 29 overs together. They added 158 at a steady pace. Jatinder reached fifty from 69 balls and Mirza from 63, and at drinks after 34 overs Oman were 167 for 1. They were up with the rate and had nine wickets in hand.

Then Rajbanshi had Jatinder caught by Airee in the 38th over for 89. In the 41st Sandeep Lamichhane had Mirza caught behind for 87. Airee trapped Mujibur Ali lbw an over later, and then had Vinayak Shukla caught. Sanju Sajeev was run out. From 190 for 1 Oman fell to 232 for 6 in the 46th over, needing 49 from 26 balls. Hassnain Shah hit 40 not out from 23 balls, but Oman needed 23 from the final over and got 12.

Oman will be most frustrated by the two dismissals of their set batters. Jatinder and Mirza had done the hard work. If either had batted until the 45th over, Oman would very likely have won.

Both innings followed the same pattern: slow early scoring, a long partnership once batters were set, and a rush of wickets when they tried to accelerate at the end. New batters found it hard to score straight away. Samay Shrivastava had two batters stumped, and Shakeel Ahmed's ten overs for 29 were the most economical of the match. Totals of 280 and 270 suggest a fair surface where the team that kept its set batters in longer would win.

Airee came in at 99 for 3 and played the innings Nepal needed. He scored quickly from the start, with three fours and four sixes in his 69 from 62, and his pace let Paudel take his time. Then he bowled his full ten overs of spin and took two key wickets as Oman lost their way, trapping Mujibur Ali lbw and having Vinayak Shukla caught. He also took the catch that removed Jatinder Singh for 89, which was when the chase turned.

This match didn't have a CricIntel preview, so there is no call to check. We'll have full analysis for both sides' next League 2 fixtures.

On ESPNcricinfo's League 2 table, Oman are fourth on 33 points from 32 games, level on points with Namibia, who have played 36. The top four qualify directly, so Oman's four remaining games matter a great deal, and this was a chance missed. The same table shows Nepal sixth on 30 points with 36 games played, outside the top four. Nepal have still won both games against Oman this week, and players like Airee and Paudel are in good form.