KATHMANDU: Nepal has qualified for the Asia Cup after defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to win the ACC Premier Cup title.
The final match was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday. As per the tournament rules, the winner earns a direct spot in the upcoming Asia Cup.
Chasing a target of 314 runs, the UAE was bowled out for 268. Rahul Chopra scored a century for the UAE, while Shoaib Khan contributed 52, Tanish Suri 42, Harpreet Singh 33 and Khuzaima Tanveer 15.
Karan KC led the Nepali bowling attack with three wickets, while Lalit Rajbanshi claimed two. Sandeep Lamichhane, Dipendra Singh Airee, Rohit Paudel and Gulsan Jha each took one wicket.
Earlier, Nepal posted a total of 313 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Aasif Sheikh anchored the innings with 104 runs off 106 balls, featuring eight fours and four sixes.
Gulsan Jha added 52, Arjun Kumal scored 43 and captain Rohit Paudel contributed 40. For the UAE, Ibrar Ahmed took four wickets and Khuzaima Tanveer claimed two.
