Nepal advanced to the semis of the World Twent20 Global Qualifiers ‘A’ as group B winners.  Photo courtesy: CAN

Nepal on Monday trounced Canada by eight wickets to cruise into the semi-final of the World Twenty20 Global Qualifiers at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Muscat, and are now just one win away from realising their World T20 dream.

Now, if Nepal register a victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, they would be assured of a place for the global showpiece set to take place in Australia in October and November, for the first time after 2014.
Electing to bat first, Canada were bowled out for 80 runs in 15 overs with captain Sandeep Lamichhane claiming three wickets apart from two early wickets from Kamal Airee and Abinash Bohara. In the run chase, opener Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee put up an unbeaten 58-run partnership for the third wicket guiding Nepal to victory in 14.1 overs, with 35 balls to spare.

Photo courtesy: CANEn route to the semi-final, Nepal played like a deserving winner in Group ‘B’ of Qualifiers A winning all three matches to remain on the top of the table with six points, two points ahead of the second-placed hosts Oman.
The top two finishers of both groups qualify for the semi-finals and both the finalists will book a place in the tournament proper.
Ireland and the UAE booked their places for semis from Group ‘A’ as the group winners and runners-up, respectively, with four points each. Ireland, however, finished on top by virtue of better run rate.
On Monday, Nepal made an impressive start, with bowlers firing on all cylinders and at one point, it looked like Canada, who chose to bat first, would be sent packing for less than 50 runs on the board.
Wickets fell at close intervals before Canada posted a paltry total of 80 runs which Nepal achieved in 14.1 overs for the loss of two wickets.
The newly appointed captain Sandeep Lamichhane grabbed three wickets while pacers Kamal and Bohara picked two wickets apiece.
In the run chase, opener Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee, the same pair that put up a 171-run partnership against the Philippines on Saturday, made light work of Canada. The duo shared an unbeaten 58-run partnership for the third wicket.
Captain Lamichhane credited fast bowlers and Kamal Singh Airee for the victory.
"Kamal bowled very well in the power play while spin attack and Bohara carried the momentum to torment Canada," said Lamichhane. "Batters are also doing well and the partnership between Dipendra and Kushal (Bhurtel) has been fantastic. We are here due to the great teamwork and joint effort of all members."
Opener Bhurtel hit 34 off 37 that included three boundaries. Airee hit 31-ball 27 that included three fences.
The other opener Aasif Sheikh contributed 17 runs off 16 balls before being trapped leg before by Salman Nasar in the last ball of the fourth over. Kushal Malla was out for a duck after he was bowled by Kaleem Sana in the very first delivery he faced.
Canada tried to make an aggressive start to their innings as they came into the match requiring a big margin win over Nepal to keep their semi-final hopes afloat. But they received an early blow as opener Matthew Spoors was out for a duck after he was caught by Kushal Malla off Kamal Airee in the fifth delivery.
Captain Navneet Dhaliwal scored 14-ball 18 before he was caught by Malla off Kamal with 2-35 on board. Dhaliwal's dismissal opened the floodgates as they lost next seven wickets adding 13 runs with 9-48 on board.
Canada tailender Dillon Heyliger contributed an unbeaten 24 runs off 22, the highest of their innings. Salman Nazar was the last wicket to fall scoring 10 runs.
Nepal captain Lamichhane, who bowls leg spin, was stingy with his ball, giving away just 12 runs in his four-over spell and was named player-of-the-match.

Photo courtesy: CANBohara and Kamal, who bowled three overs each, conceded seven and 16 runs, respectively.
On the upcoming fixture, Captain Lamichhane said there is no room for complacency as the UAE could pose a challenge to Nepal's journey to the finals.
"The battle between two well-known foes will be tough. While we are well aware of the UAE’s strengths, it’s the same for them when it comes to us,” said Lamichhane. “They have read us very well. It is going to be a big game tomorrow for all of us and we will give our best. We are mentally prepared and there is a hunger in our team to win against the UAE.”
In the first game against hosts Oman, Nepal defended a low total of 117 runs to beat them by 39 runs before a thumping 136-run win over the Philippines.
The young Nepali team have retained only former captain Gyanendra Malla and Jitendra Mukhiya in the squad that played the last World Cup in 2014.
While Sharad Vesawkar and Pradeep Airee were the other players of the 2014 generation included for the Oman tour, the former was dropped at the last moment after an ankle injury and Airee was left out from the final squad.
Bibek Yadav, Lokesh Bam and Sagar Dhakal are the new faces in the national fold for the first time. Similarly, Kushal Bhurtel, the only century scorer of the Qualifying campaign against the Philippines also marked his entry into the national team last year.
In another match of the group, hosts Oman registered a nine-wicket win over the Philippines to book a semi-final ticket as group runners-up. They will meet Group 'A' winners Ireland on Tuesday.
Batting first, the Philippines were bowled out for 36 runs in 15.2 overs before the hosts stormed to 40-1 in just 17 deliveries. Khurram Nawaz scored an unbeaten 33 runs, including five fences and two sixes, off 12.