KATHMANDU: In an ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 match earlier today in Dallas, Nepal faced a 37-run loss to the USA.
The match was held at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas, where Nepal won the toss and chose to field first. The USA managed to score 281 runs, losing 8 wickets in their allotted 50 overs.
Saiteja Mukkamalla was the top scorer for the hosts, making 75 runs off 87 balls, while Captain Monak Patel added 67 runs from 81 balls. Harmeet Singh also made a significant contribution with 59 runs off 44 balls.
On the bowling side for Nepal, Gulshan Jha was the standout, claiming 3 wickets for 87 runs in his 10 overs.
Sandeep Lamichhane and Sompal Kami each took 2 wickets, while Kushal Bhutel picked up 1 wicket.
In response, Nepal managed to score only 244 runs, losing all their wickets in 49.5 overs.
Opener Anil Shah was the top scorer with 52 runs off 80 balls, followed by Sompal Kami with a quick 46 runs off 27 balls. Kushal Malla and Dipendra Singh Airee contributed 33 and 31 runs, respectively, while Kushal Bhurtel added 29 runs to the total.
For the USA, Saurabh Netravalkar was the standout bowler, taking 4 wickets for 47 runs in 9.5 overs, earning him the player of the match award. Shadley van Shalkwyk and Nosthush Kenjige each took 2 wickets.
In the ongoing series, which also includes Scotland, Nepal has recorded two losses and one win. They first lost to the USA by 3 wickets but bounced back to defeat Scotland by 5 wickets in their second match.
With this latest loss, Nepal remains in 7th place in the League 2 points table, accumulating only 5 points from 11 matches. The USA currently leads the table with 16 points from 12 matches, while Scotland sits in third with 13 points from 10 matches.
Nepal's next match is against Scotland at the same venue on Monday morning local time.
