Wednesday 29 / April / 2026
MUSCAT: Oman captain Jatinder Singh lit up Kirtipur with a record-shattering 130 off just 96 balls, laying the foundation for a comprehensive 102-run victory over hosts Nepal via the DLS method in their ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series clash at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Electing to bat, Oman rode on Jatinder’s superb knock — his career-best ODI score — in a dominant display of strokeplay. The innings, studded with 15 fours and five sixes, yielded 90 runs in boundaries and marked his second ODI century against Nepal and fifth overall. It also eclipsed his previous best of 118* and further cemented his standing as Oman’s leading run-scorer in the format.
Chasing 306, Nepal were rocked early by Oman’s ace spinner Shakeel Ahmed, who struck with the very first ball of his spell, trapping Kushal Bhurtel lbw for 1 in the second over the innings. He later dismissed Aasif Sheikh for 19 to leave the hosts struggling at 33/2 in 7.6 overs.
Debutant Nadeem Khan then made an impact with the ball, removing Nepal captain Rohit Paudel as the hosts slipped further. The chase never gathered momentum after the early setbacks, with Oman’s bowlers striking at regular intervals to keep Nepal in check.
Khan made up for his brief outing with the bat to return as Oman’s most successful bowler with figures of 3/42, while Ahmed continued his fine form with 2/16. Muhammed Imran and Wasim Ali chipped in with a wicket each.
Dipendra Singh Airee fought hard with a determined 60 off 62 balls, hitting seven fours and a six, while Bhim Sharki contributed 28 off 56 balls. However, once Airee was dismissed in the 36th over, Nepal’s hopes faded quickly. Rain eventually forced play to be abandoned with Nepal at 155/7 in 36.5 overs, well short of the revised DLS target of 258.
Earlier, Jatinder laid the foundation alongside Ashish Odedara, with the opening pair adding 80 runs in 14.2 overs. Odedara contributed 23 off 48 balls before falling to Sandeep Lamichhane, while Nadeem Khan was dismissed for 1.
The innings gathered pace through a crucial 81-run third-wicket partnership between Jatinder and Hammad Mirza (30 off 47). Aryan Bisht, drafted in as a late replacement for the injured Mujibur Ali, impressed in just his second ODI with a composed 35 off 35 balls.
Jiten Ramanandi then anchored the latter stages with a career-best run-a-ball 43, forging a valuable 52-run stand with Bisht. Contributions from Vinayak Shukla (23 off 17) and Wasim Ali (12 not out off 6) ensured Oman crossed the 300-mark — only the third time they have achieved the milestone in ODIs. They eventually finished on 305/8, just shy of their highest ODI total of 318/9.
For Nepal, Sompal Kami was the standout bowler, claiming 4/59, including two wickets in the final over. Sandeep Lamichhane returned an economical 2/24, while Dipendra Singh Airee picked up 2/56.
The victory marks Sulakshan Kulkarni-coached Oman’s first in the ongoing tri-series following their loss to the UAE. They remain third in the eight-team League 2 standings with 31 points from 26 matches, while Nepal stay seventh with 14 points from 22 games.
Oman next face the UAE on May 3 and will be looking to avenge their 25-run defeat in the opening match on April 27.
Brief scores: Oman 305/8 (Jatinder Singh 130, Ashish Odedara 23, Hammad Mirza 30, Aryan Bisht 35, Jiten Ramanandi 43, Vinayak Shukla 23; Sompal Kami 4/59, Sandeep Lamichhane 2/24) beat Nepal 155/7 in 36.5 overs (DLS target 258) (Dipendra Singh Airee 60, Bhim Sharki 28; Nadeem Khan 3/42, Shakeel Ahmed 2/16).
