Scotland hold – Scotland held their nerve to beat Nepal by two runs in a rain-affected one-day international at Kirtipur, with Brad Currie’s 3-43 sealing a revised chase.
Rain turned the finish into a sprint, but Scotland still found a way to land the final blow at Kirtipur.
After batting first on a testing pitch, Scotland posted 243-8 from their 50 overs.. The foundation came through George Munsey’s 62-ball 75, his innings featuring 12 fours and two sixes.. Finlay McCreath contributed 35, helping build a 114-run partnership with Munsey, while Michael English guided the back end with an unbeaten 34.. Mark Watt (24) and Michael Leask (29) provided late momentum as Nepal fought back with a varied bowling attack.
The chase was then disrupted by rain.. Nepal were set a revised target of 221 in 39 overs, needing 13 from the final over.. Scotland made a sharp start when Mark Watt took two wickets in three balls. but the contest swung back when a partnership between Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee brought the hosts into contention.. The turning point looked clear after Paudel was bowled while trying to scoop Brad Currie. and soon after Airee sliced spinner Oli Davidson to short third.
Still, Nepal refused to fold.. Gulshan Jha finished unbeaten on 61 off 35 deliveries and kept the required rate in reach as the end approached.. Currie stayed composed through the flurry of boundaries—so much so that in his final over. he went from four runs in the first five balls of it.. Even though Jha cleared the ropes with the final delivery of the game. it wasn’t enough. leaving Scotland to win by two runs.
“We knew from the start we were going to have to work hard to get the win. ” captain Richie Berrington said.. “Really pleased we managed to hold our nerve under pressure.. Mark Watt and Oli Davidson bowled really well and Brad Currie was excellent again.” He added: “Brad is very clear in what he’s trying to do. which makes things easy as a captain.. The trust is fully there and thankfully he managed to execute.”
The pattern in the finish was tight control from Scotland at the exact moments Nepal needed to break free—Watt’s two quick wickets began the recovery. Currie’s 3-43 kept a lid on the chase. and then Scotland survived the last-over surge by limiting the damage even after the target came down to 13 from the final over.
Scotland’s result leaves them level at the top of Cricket World Cup League 2 with USA on 36 points, though they have played five games more. They return to action against USA on Thursday.
Cricket World Cup League 2 Scotland vs Nepal rain-affected ODI Brad Currie Kirtipur George Munsey Rohit Paudel Dipendra Singh Airee Gulshan Jha Richie Berrington Mark Watt