Strong Comeback Powers Nepal to Victory in UK Tour Opener

Nepal’s national cricket team made a strong start to their UK tour with a thrilling 3-wicket win over Newport Cricket Club in Cardiff on Friday.

Chasing 213 runs, Nepal stumbled early but bounced back thanks to a match-saving partnership between Gulshan Jha and Aarif Sheikh. Jha played a fiery innings of 80 runs, while Aarif anchored the chase with an unbeaten 73. Their 134-run stand for the seventh wicket was the key to Nepal reaching the target in 37.5 overs.

Earlier, Nepal chose to bowl first and kept Newport in check with disciplined bowling. Kushal Bhurtel led with 3 wickets, Dipendra Singh Airee took 2, and three others chipped in with one each.

Nepal will play three more practice matches on this tour as they gear up for the ICC World Cup League-2 games against Scotland and the Netherlands, starting June 2.