Nepal move closer to T20 World Cup as Cardiac Kids find new way to break UAE hearts

National team succumb to one-run loss at qualifying tournament in Muscat after bizarre finish

Hundreds of Nepal fans turned up on a work day in Muscat to see their side beat the UAE in a thriller. Courtesy ICC

Nepal found a new method for crushing UAE’s spirit after winning their Super Six encounter at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in extraordinary fashion.

The side have long been known as the “Cardiac Kids” because of their penchant for last-ball thrillers. The latest installment of their rivalry with the national team was just that – although how they reached that point was entirely novel.

Nepal closed out a one-run win after the last two UAE batters were run out off the final two balls of the match, each fumbling the turn while looking for a second run to tie the scores.

First, Haider Ali was run out while diving at the wicket-keeper’s end without a bat in his hands. In the process of dropping it while turning for a second, he had also failed to make his ground, leading the umpire to chalk off even the single.

It left Junaid Siddique, the UAE’s No 10 batter, requiring two to tie the scores and force a Super Over, off the final ball. He got the ball into the outfield, yet stumbled as he was turning, and Nepal completed the run out to clinch the win.

It pushes Nepal two points closer to a place at the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year. They also denied the UAE a place at the last edition of that competition, amid wild scenes on home soil for them in Kathmandu.

The UAE, though, will still be hopeful they can take one of the other two places on offer via the qualifying tournament in Oman.

The national team carried points through to the Super Six stage with them, having beaten Qatar in the group stage last week.

It means that wins in their remaining games against Oman, Samoa and Japan would take them through to the main event.

Defeat was harsh on Alishan Sharafu, who batted through pain to make a fine half-century, having earlier been treated for an injury sustained while attempting a diving stop on the boundary.

Basil Hameed was also injured in similar fashion. Although Sharafu appeared to show no ill effects of his injury while batting, Hameed’s involvement in the rest of the tournament is in doubt due to his shoulder issue.

“We were going well when Alishan and [recalled opener Jonathan] Figy were batting but I don’t think we used our minds to bat according to the situation of the game,” said Muhammad Waseem, the UAE captain.

“We can say it was a good game, but at the end also it would have been better to take singles than this.”

Dhruv Parashar had brought the UAE to the point of victory with a neat cameo worth 32 from 18 balls, but he holed out with three balls left and just three to score.

“Everyone enjoys our games [between UAE and Nepal] and hopefully we can take the positives from this and come back strongly in the next game,” Waseem said.

UAE’s downfall was brought about largely by another fielding masterclass by Dipendra Singh Airee, who also bowled the last over, and finished the game with 3-22.

“Having 140 on the board was not enough; we should have ended up around 160 or 170,” Rohit Paudel, Nepal’s captain, said. “I thought we were 15 or 20 runs short, but eventually we ended up on the winning side.”