Dipendra Singh Airee’s unbeaten 50 was the catalyst that turned Nepal’s fortunes around in their T20 World Cup campaign, securing an emphatic seven-wicket victory against Scotland. The chase looked perilous early on when Nepal were struggling at 98-3 after only 14 overs had passed, yet Airee took charge with his aggressive strokeplay.
With the team needing 73 runs to achieve their target in just four balls remaining, Airee showcased his prowess for nearly half an over, scoring all of those sixes. Accompanied by Gulsan Jha’s 24 not out, Nepal managed to post a winning score at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where the jubilant crowd erupted with excitement and Nepal’s fans took particular pride.
“Thank you to our supporters who came from Nepal and kept us going,” Airee said. “This victory after three losses is incredibly important for us.”
Nepal’s triumph marked their first win since 2014, a testament to the team’s resilience during this World Cup campaign where they had faced setbacks in their initial matches against England, which they narrowly lost by four runs, and then fell short again.
Scotland’s batsman Michael Jones provided an early push with his impressive innings of 71 off just 45 balls. However, Nepal bowler Sompal Kami was a standout performer with figures of 3-25, effectively curbing Scotland’s scoring rate.
Nepal’s opening pair Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh put on an early partnership of 74, followed by a sharp burst from spinner Michael Leask who took three quick wickets. Despite Scotland fighting back through their middle order, Airee orchestrated the final stages to guide Nepal towards victory.
For Nepal, this win was not only significant but also nostalgic, as it marked their first World Cup success since 2006 when they defeated Hong Kong and Afghanistan in the opening rounds of matches.