T20 Tri-Series, Glasgow
Scotland 97 (19.4): Leask 46, Cross 15; Lamichhane 4-11
Nepal 98-8 (19.5) : Bhurtel 30, Airee 14; Sharif 2-13
Nepal win by two wickets
Scotland fell short in their fightback against Nepal, as a single from the penultimate ball gave the tourists victory a low-scoring T20 Tri-Series match Glasgow.
After being put into bat in overcast and breezy conditions at Clydesdale, hosting its third match of the week, Scotland crumbled as Nepal wreaked havoc with the ball.
Mark Watt was removed with just the fifth delivery of the afternoon by Dipendra Singh Airee and by the end of the fifth over the Scots were five down.
After Michael Leask, who ended with 46, and captain Matthew Cross helped put up a brief resistance, Sandeep Lamichhane cleaned up the lower order by taking four wickets for just 11 runs to leave Nepal needing just 98 to win.
However, despite looking like they would reach the winning line with plenty to spare, disciplined bowling from Scotland took another dramatic match right to the end.
Safyaan Sharif had Kiran Thagunna caught in the final over as Nepal went eight down while needing just a single from the final two balls.
But they composed themselves to get it with the penultimate delivery as Lamichhane added to his bowling heroics by grabbing the winning run.
Scotland next face the Netherlands on Wednesday before finishing their series against Nepal on Friday as they warm up for next month’s T20 World Cup qualifiers.
“It was a game of two halves,” Scotland captain Cross told BBC Scotland.
“We didn’t bat very well to be honest. I think the first five or six overs being five wickets down is tough to come back from.
“Having said that, I think we put in a decent effort to make the game go as close to the wire as we could. So I’m proud of the performance in the second half.
“Losing five wickets in the powerplay, you don’t win many games like that. The pitch was trickier but we expect more of ourselves to build a score when it is like that.”
Having defeated the Netherlands by 39 runs in their opening match of the series, the Scots ought to have been in a buoyant mood on home soil.
But from the start it was Nepal, who lost to the Dutch on Monday after an unprecedented third super over, who were inspired in front of a raucous band of fans on Glasgow’s sunny south side.
After Watt trudged to the pavilion before the end of the first over, he was quickly joined by George Munsey who spooned one to Airee off the bowling of Karan KC.
Finlay McCreath and Brandon McMullen were also caught playing loosely, while Liam Naylor was run out as Scotland toiled to 32-5 after the powerplay.
Cross and Leask shared 39 but Scotland’s respite was short-lived thanks to Lamichhane.
After bowling Cross and Christopher McBride in consecutive deliveries, he later trapped Safyaan Sharif lbw before Jack Jarvis became the 24-yer-old’s fourth victim as he departed for a duck.
Leask was the final man to fall at the hand of Airee as he tried to blast his way to 50 in the final few balls.
In reply Nepal hit 31 for the loss of two wickets in their powerplay, before better bowling from Scotland and a soggy pitch slowed the scoring.
Once opener Kushal Bhurtel was removed for 30 in the 13th over, things started to slowly turn in Scotland’s favour.
Leask added to his batting resistance with two wickets, including a brilliant catch from his own delivery to dismiss Basir Ahamad.
And though Sharif looked like he could win it for Scotland after Thagunna walked, ultimately Doug Watson’s side had given themselves too much to do.
