Nepal beat Canada by 24 runs in the tri-series under ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League-2 in Oman on October 11, a result that nudged it to sixth place and strengthened its hold on One-Day International status. After choosing to bat first, Nepal made 235 all out in 50 overs and then defended the total as Canada fell short at 211 in 48.4 overs while chasing 236.
The name at the center of it was Rohit Kumar Poudel, who scored 101 off 107 balls and gave Nepal the innings it needed when the target could have slipped away. Gulshan Jha added 48, Basir Ahamad made 30 and Arjun Kumal scored 23, giving Nepal enough depth to reach a total that would stand up under pressure.
Canada did not let the chase collapse without a fight. Akhil Kumar made 44, Samit Gohel scored 35, and Akhil Kumar also added 30 not out, while Shreyas Movva and Hamza Tariq each made 26. Nepal had to keep taking wickets to hold the line, and it did so through two-wicket spells from Lalit Rajbanshi, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC and Nandan Yadav.
That is what gives the win its edge. Nepal improved its place in the standings, but the broader picture is still hard to ignore: it has won 12 of 33 League-2 matches and lost 19, which is not the record of a side that can afford to breathe easily. The victory helps the ODI case, but it does not erase how much ground Nepal still has to cover in the competition.
What makes the result matter now is that every match in League-2 changes the calculation. Nepal has moved up, the pressure has eased a little, and the immediate fear of slipping further has been reduced. What remains unresolved is the margin for error from here, because this win improves the outlook without answering how many more results Nepal will need before its status is secure.
