Muscat – Oman’s youthful side saw their hopes of reaching the final of the Men’s T20I Asian Games Qualifier ended by tournament favourites Nepal, who secured a comprehensive eight-wicket victory in the semi-final at the Singapore National Cricket Ground in Singapore on Sunday.

Nepal, boasting a squad packed players who have featured at the last edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, proved too strong for an Omani side in which captain Sufyan Mehmood was the lone experienced campaigner, with the rest of the squad making their tournament debuts.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, Oman struggled to build momentum and were bowled out for 94 in 19.4 overs.

The innings got off to a disastrous start as Shuaib Al Balushi and Nawed Al Balushi were dismissed without scoring, while Mohammed Al Balushi fell for nine to leave Oman reeling at 9 for 3 inside four overs.

Zubair Al Balushi counter-attacked with an entertaining 22 from just 14 deliveries, striking five boundaries, before Nepal’s bowlers tightened their grip on the contest. Sufyan anchored the innings with a patient 38 off 42 balls, including two fours and two sixes, while Abdul Jalil chipped in with 16 from 14 deliveries, which included two boundaries and a maximum.

However, regular wickets prevented Oman from forging substantial partnerships as they were dismissed with two balls remaining in their innings.

Fast bowler Karan KC was Nepal’s chief destroyer with figures of 3 for 20, while another pacer Sompal Kami and leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane claimed two wickets each. Shahab Alam, Kushal Malla, and Dipendra Singh Airee picked up one wicket apiece.

Chasing 95, Nepal suffered a little hiccup when Kushal Bhurtel was dismissed for 20 and Aasif Sheikh fell for one, reducing them to 27 for 2 inside two overs, both claimed by left-arm spinner Sameer Othman.

Any hopes of an Omani fightback were quickly extinguished as Lokesh Bam and captain Rohit Paudel combined in an unbeaten stand worth 68 runs. Bam struck 44 not out from 26 balls, hitting seven fours and a six, while Paudel remained unbeaten on 21 off 20 as Nepal raced to 95 for 2 in just 9.2 overs. Othman finished with figures of 2 for 36.

The victory sends Nepal into the final, while Oman will look to finish their campaign on a positive note when they face the winner of the Hong Kong-Malaysia semi-final in Monday’s third-place playoff.

Brief scores: Oman 94 in 19.4 overs (Sufyan Mehmood 38, Zubair Al Balushi 22, Abdul Jalil 16; Karan KC 3/20, Sompal Kami 2/26, Sandeep Lamichhane 2/19) lost to Nepal 95/2 in 9.2 overs (Rohit Paudel 21*, Lokesh Bam 44*; Sameer Othman 2/36).