Nepal failed in the batting department and succumbed to a 48-run defeat against hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the UAE Triangular Series of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Nepal dismissed the UAE, who chose to bat first, for a moderate total of 168 runs in 46.3 overs as pacer Sompal Kami grabbed four wickets. In the run chase, Nepal saw a dramatic collapse in batting and were bowled out for 120 runs in 35.1 overs.

Nepal and the UAE have both registered wins over Papua New Guinea in the first matches of the Series being played in the double header format. Nepal will now take on the UAE on Monday and PNG on Tuesday.

Nepal's middle order batter Rohit Paudel contributed 46 runs off 60, the highest of the innings. Former captain Gyanendra Malla (28 runs) and opener Kushal Bhurtel (11 runs) were the only other batters to contribute in double digit figures.

"It’s quite unbelievable. When we were chasing 168, we thought we would get there by 30 or 35 overs. But we lost because of the poor display of batting. We have to take the responsibility and move forward," said Nepal captain Sandip Lamichhane.

Nepal were off to a shaky start in the run chase losing both openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh in the fifth over on 11 and seven runs respectively with 2-19 on board. Dipendra Singh Airee was the next wicket to fall scoring four runs with 3-27 on board.

Malla and Paudel shared a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket providing respite to Nepal before the former captain was trapped leg by Rohan Mustafa. Malla played 62-ball 28 that included a fence. But his dismissal triggered a dramatic collapse as Nepal lost the remaining six wickets for just 38 runs. Paudel, who had scored a half-century against PNG in Nepal's two wicket win over the team in the first game of the Series on Wednesday, hit four fences before he was caught by Muhammad Waseem off Sahoor Khan in the 30th over.

"Gyanendra and Rohit put up a good partnership. The rest of the work was so easy… we just needed to go easy for the next 10 or 15 overs. But I guess we rushed to score those runs quickly. Falling wickets on those moments actually hurt us," added Lamichhane. "It is now time to rethink batting. Our batting has not been working for a while, including in recent tournaments. It’s time to explore where we are lacking. There are certain areas we need to improve on."

Both Aarif Sheik and Kamal Airee were out for a duck while Sompal Kami and Karan KC scored equal six runs and captain Sandip Lamichhane seven runs.

The UAE bowler Basil Hameed was the pick of bowling claiming four wickets in his five-over spell with a maiden over. He conceded 15 runs. Junaid Siddique grabbed three wickets in his 7.1 overs bowling. He conceded 18 runs with a maiden over.

Earlier, the UAE also made a poor start to their innings and were restricted to 4-35 by the 11th over. But middle order batters Chundagapoyil Rizwan and Rohan Mustafa contributed equal 40 runs each and also shared a 77-run stand for the fifth wicket to anchor the innings.

Rizwan played a patience knock of 85 balls before being stumped by Aasif, who replaced regular wicketkeeper Binod Bhandari left out of the starting list, in a delivery by Lamichhane in the 34th over. Mustafa hit two fences and a six in his 81-ball knock before he was bowled by Dipendra Sing Airee in the 39th over.

The UAE opener Muhammad Waseem contributed 21 runs off 28. Lower middle order Basil Hameed (14 runs), Kashif Daud (18 runs) and captain Ahmed Raza (13 runs) were the other batters to contribute in double digit for the hosts.

Apart from Kami's four wicket haul, medium pacer Karan KC picked three wickets for Nepal. Kami gave away 39 runs in his nine over spell. KC gave away 16 runs in his 7.3 overs bowling that included a maiden over. Lamichhane, Dipendra and Sagar Dhakal pocketed one wicket each.

With four defeats and five wins, Nepal remained unchanged in sixth place in the seven-team standings on 10 points. UAE are second with 18 points from 15 games while Oman lead the standings with 36 points from 28 matches. The top three teams at the end of the league will book their places in World Cup Qualifiers.