Kathmandu: Nepal clinched the ICC T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia Pacific (EAP) Qualifiers title without losing a single match, defeating Samoa by 124 runs in the final on October 17.
Batting first after losing the toss, Nepal scored 211 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs, thanks to brilliant half-centuries from Asif Sheikh (69 runs off 41 balls) and Dipendra Singh Airee (53 runs). Lokesh Bam added a quick 39 runs from just 11 balls, while captain Rohit Paudel remained unbeaten on 21.
In reply, Samoa managed only 87 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. Sean Solia top-scored with 40 runs. For Nepal, Lalit Rajbanshi took 3 wickets, while Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Rohit Paudel grabbed one each.
With this win, Nepal lifted an ICC tournament trophy after 11 years, having last won the ICC Division 4 title in 2014.
Nepal dominated the qualifiers, defeating Kuwait and Japan in the group stage and securing victories over UAE, Qatar, and Oman in the Super Six round.
Through this qualification, Nepal, UAE, and Oman have booked their places in the T20 World Cup 2026, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
