Nepal succumbed to a five-wicket defeat against hosts Oman in the One-Day International (ODI) Tri-Series match of the ICC World Cup League 2 at the Al Amerat cricket ground in Oman on Tuesday.

Electing to bat first, Nepal were bowled out for 196 runs in 47.4 overs before Oman made 200-5 in 31.5 overs in the day-night match to register their third victory in a row over Nepal.

Oman had defeated Nepal by six wickets and eight wickets respectively in the first match of the League 2 at the TU cricket grounds in Kirtipur in February, 2020

On Monday, Nepal defeated USA by five wickets in the first match of the Series played at the same venue. Nepal will play against USA on Friday and Oman on Sunday.

Against the home team on Tuesday, Nepal not only came up with a weak batting but they also failed to live up to expectations in the bowling department. Opener Aasif Sheik contributed the highest 90 runs for Nepal, while other batsmen were sent out cheaply.

Sheikh’s opening partner Kushal Bhurtel, who contributed 84 runs against USA on Monday, was out for a duck. But Sheikh gave some hope for Nepal with 90 runs from 112 deliveries before being bowled by Bilal Khan in the 36th over.

Captain Gyanendra Malla (21 runs), Rohit Paudel (20 runs), Karan KC (21 runs) and Sandeep Lamichhane (16 runs) were the only other players for Nepal to contribute in double-digit figures.

Oman bowler Khan claimed four wickets in his 10 over spell giving away 47 runs with a maiden over. Nestor Dhamba claimed two wickets.

In the run chase, opener Jatinder Singh played a quickfire 107 runs off 62 deliveries before he was caught by Rohit Paudel off Kushal Malla in the 26th over. The player of the match Singh hit 12 fences and six sixes. He alone hit Sompal Kami for 30 runs with three sixes and as many boundaries in the fifth over.

Ayan Khan collected 18 runs while Mohammad Nadeem remained unbeaten at 38 runs. Suraj Kumar contributed 20 runs for the hosts.

The outcome meant Nepal remained unchanged on sixth place with six points from as many matches in the League 2 standings. Oman lead the table with 18 points from 11 matches. Apart from Nepal and Oman, League 2 features USA, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, Namibia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) competing in the seven-team contest.

Nepal are in Oman to play four matches — two each against the hosts and USA—as part of their 36 ODIs in total by February 2023. The teams that finish top three will secure berths at the World Cup Qualifiers while the bottom four will compete in the World Cup Qualifiers playoff set to take place in Zimbabwe in June and July, 2023.