Battling a spin bowling group in Kathmandu, Nepal negotiated a tough chase to secure the final Asia Cup 2023 spot on the reserve day of the Premier Cup final on Tuesday.
Gulshan Jha's promotion to No.3 in the batting order proved a masterstroke from skipper Rohit Paudel and coach Monty Desai, first to negotiate Aayan Khan's left-arm orthodox, before countering with an array of shots.
The 17-year-old made 67* to chase down 118, a target made tricky by UAE's strong spin-bowling group, slow Tribhuvan University conditions, and the added dimension of rain threatening in the capital.
UAE resumed their innings on the morning of the reserve day at 106/9, and Lalit Rajbanshi continued where he left off on Monday, taking the final wicket with left-arm orthodox of his own to finish with 4/14 (7.1). Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane claimed 2/34 (10) at the other end, moving to a 33-ODI match streak of wicket-taking outings.
Nepal will take the last spot in Group A, alongside India and Pakistan, with the Asia Cup slated for September.
The top three finishers of Nepal, UAE and Oman at the Premier Cup mean they will also feature in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in July, where they will take on 'A' Teams of five Full Members in the region.
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