Nepal cruise past UAE
Nepal won the battle of the associate nations, as they dominated UAE for a seven-wicket win in Chennai.
Put into bat, UAE made a promising start and scored 41 runs in their first six overs. Unable to carry the momentum, they were reduced to 66/5. A 68-run partnership between Harshit Kaushik (35) and Sohaib Khan (38) rescued them, guiding the UAE to 145/6 in 20 overs.
UAE pacer Muhammad Rohid (1/13) troubled Nepal early on, and the chasing team looked in a spot of bother at 45/3.
But the experienced Dipendra Singh Airee and Aarif Sheikh took the game away from UAE with an unbeaten 103-run stand. While Airee scored 50 in 31 balls, Sheikh was a lot more destructive, hitting eight fours and two sixes for a rampant 61.
Both teams are hoping hope to build momentum in the warm-up matches and cause an upset or two at the marquee event. While Nepal is in Group C, along with England, Italy, Scotland and West Indies, UAE has been drawn in Group D, which includes South Africa, New Zealand, Canada and Afghanistan.