SATV Kathmandu Oct 11: Nepal defeated Japan by five wickets on Friday to secure two valuable points heading into the Super Six stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in Al Amerat, Oman.

The result sees Nepal progress as Group B toppers, carrying forward two points. Both sides had earlier beaten Kuwait to book their place in the second round. Nepal will face UAE in their opening Super Six clash on Sunday.

Put in to bat first at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground, Japan posted a modest 131 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs. In response, Nepal made heavy weather of the chase, losing five wickets before crossing the finish line in 18 overs.

Nepal were wobbling at 90 for 5 in the 13th over, but a composed finish from Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulshan Jha sealed the win. Airee remained unbeaten on 14 off 14 balls, while Jha played a match-winning cameo, smashing two sixes and a four in his 28* off 20 deliveries.

Openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh gave Nepal a steady start with a 31-run stand. Bhurtel struck three boundaries in his run-a-ball 21 before falling in the fifth over. Sheikh then partnered with skipper Rohit Paudel for a 27-run second-wicket stand. Sheikh top-scored with a blistering 38 off 21 balls, including four sixes and a boundary, before being dismissed in the eighth over.

Nepal’s middle order faltered as Sundeep Jora (5 off 7) and Kushal Malla (4 off 6) fell cheaply in the 10th and 12th overs respectively. Two balls after Malla’s dismissal, Paudel was trapped lbw for 18 off 19, leaving Nepal in a spot of bother.

Speaking after the match, Paudel expressed his happiness to go into the Super six with two points. " The match against Japan was important for us. The victory gave us two points going into the Super Six. Japan batted really well. We were waiting for our opportunity, and the breakthrough came in Sompal’s over. After that, we worked hard to restrict them. Gulshan and Sandeep bowled brilliantly."

"As a batting unit, we could have done better. We lost wickets in the middle and gave Japan a chance to come back. Hopefully, we won’t repeat that in the next match. UAE are the best team in the tournament, but we’ll stick to our basics and play to our strengths."

Japan’s captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming led from the front with a fluent 60 off 46 balls, laced with five fours and three sixes. After the early loss of Abhishek Anand (1 off 8), he stitched an 86-run partnership with Eesam Rahman, who contributed 31 before being caught by Jora off Kami in the 13th over.

Four balls later, Fleming was caught by Paudel off Jha, leaving Japan at 99 for 3. Nepal’s bowlers then tightened the screws, picking up wickets at regular intervals and reducing Japan to 109 for 6 by the 18th over. Benjamin Ito-Davis added a late flourish with 17 off 12 balls, including a four and a six.

Gulshan Jha starred with the ball, returning figures of 2 for 20 from his four overs. Sandeep Lamichhane also bagged two wickets for 25. Sompal Kami and Nandan Yadav chipped in with one wicket each.