Scotland Crowned Champion After Defeating Nepal in Tri-Nation T20 Final

Scotland secured the Tri-Nation T20 Series title after defeating Nepal by 34 runs in the final and decisive match of the tournament on Friday.

Played at the Titwood Cricket Ground in Glasgow, Nepal was chasing a challenging target of 194 runs but was bowled out for 159 runs in 18.5 overs.

Although all three teams — Scotland, Nepal, and the Netherlands — had an equal record of two wins and two losses in the double round-robin format, Scotland emerged victorious due to a superior net run rate. Nepal finished second.

Rupesh Singh Shines in Debut Series

Rupesh Singh, who made his debut in this series, remained unbeaten with 43 runs off 22 balls, hitting 1 four and 3 sixes. Veteran Dipendra Singh Airee, playing his 81st T20 International match — the highest by any Nepali player — scored 34 runs from 33 balls with 1 four and 1 six.

Other Nepali batters fell cheaply: Kushal Bhurtel scored 4, Bhim Sharki 12, Aasif Sheikh 14, Arif Sheikh and Lokesh Bam 5 runs each. Captain Rohit Paudel contributed 27 runs from 20 balls, including four boundaries.

Sandeep Lamichhane went out for a duck, while Rijhan Dhakal and Lalit Rajbanshi scored 5 and 1 respectively. For Scotland, Chris Greaves took 3 wickets in 3 overs conceding 27 runs, while Safyaan Sharif took 2 wickets.

Scotland Posts a Commanding Total

Earlier, Scotland won the toss and chose to bat first, posting a strong total of 193/5. Opener George Munsey and Brandon McMullen laid the foundation with an aggressive 100-run partnership for the second wicket. Stand-in opener Mark Watt failed again, getting bowled by Rupesh Singh for 9.

Munsey scored a quickfire 78 off 39 balls with 5 fours and 6 sixes, while McMullen added 42 runs from 30 balls, including 4 boundaries and a six. Captain Richie Berrington was dismissed for 9, Finlay McCreath for 1, while Matthew Cross remained steady with 17 runs from 13 balls, and Michael Leask stayed unbeaten on 26 from 17 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes.

Nepal’s Mixed Performance in the Series

Before facing Scotland, Nepal had played three matches in the series, winning two. They lost to the Netherlands in a nail-biting three-super-over match on Sunday. On Tuesday, Nepal defeated Scotland in a low-scoring thriller by 2 wickets and on Thursday, registered a dominant 6-wicket win over the Netherlands.

In Friday’s match, Nepal made one change — replacing Karan KC with left-arm pacer Rijhan Dhakal, who failed to impress by conceding 35 runs in just 3 overs. Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee also proved expensive, leaking 50 runs in 4 overs without taking a wicket.

Kushal Bhurtel claimed 2 wickets for 20 runs in 2 overs, while Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Rupesh Singh took one wicket each.