T20 WC: Nepal captain expresses ecstasy after Scotland victory
What's the story
Nepal's cricket team captain, Rohit Paudel, has expressed his deep emotional connection with the team's recent seven-wicket victory over Scotland in their final match of the ICC T20 World Cup. This was Nepal's first win in 12 years at the tournament. The win came after Kushal Bhurtel's explosive start and Dipendra Singh Airee's unbeaten half-century led Nepal to a seven-wicket victory over Scotland in an inconsequential Group C match.
Fan appreciation
Paudel thanks Nepalese fans for support
Paudel thanked the passionate Nepalese fans for their unwavering support during tough times. He said, "After our game against England, they started booking tickets and supported us until the last match." He also praised his team's death bowling for restricting Scotland to 170 runs. "We focused more on dot balls than on taking wickets," he added. Notably, this was Nepal's last game in the ongoing edition, having lost each of the previous three.
Information
When Nepal almost upset England
Nepal, in their opener, gave two-time champions England a major scare, needing just 10 runs from the final over. Though Nepal put up a valiant fight, they ultimately fell short by four runs while chasing a target of 185 runs.
Teamwork
Airee calls his innings the best of his career
Paudel also praised Airee and Gulshan Jha for their match-winning partnership. He said, "This is not the way we wanted to play, but Dipendra and Gulshan won the game for us." He added that they learned a lot from their game against England. "To summarize this tournament, we wanted to play the way we did against England and Scotland," Paudel said.
Personal achievement
Scotland captain Berrington credits Airee for changing momentum
Airee, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten half-century, called it the best innings of his career. He said, "First of all, I want to thank the fans who came from Nepal and supported us." Scotland captain Richie Berrington credited Airee for changing the game's momentum in Nepal's favor.
Summary
How did the game pan out?
The match, held at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, witnessed Nepal chase down a target of 171 runs with two balls to spare. Dipendra was the hero of Nepal as he hammered a breathtaking 50* off just 23 balls. Earlier in the innings, openers Kushal Bhurtel (43 off 35) and Aasif Sheikh (33 off 27) added 74 runs. Nepal's bowling unit, led by Sompal Kami, who picked up three wickets and bowled economically (3/25 in 4 overs).