Nepal beat Malaysia by nine wickets in a rain-affected practice match ahead of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup, powered by a century from opener Aasif Sheikh and a half-century from Arjun Kumal.

Malaysia, who won the toss and elected to bat, were bowled out for 232 in 48.2 overs.

Rain interrupted Nepal’s chase, reducing their target to 228 from 48 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. Nepal reached the revised target in just 28 overs, losing only one wicket.

Sheikh smashed 161 from 85 balls, hitting 12 sixes and 12 fours in a blistering innings. He and Kumal put on 220 for the first wicket, giving Nepal a dominant start.

Kumal remained unbeaten on 61 from 82 balls, hitting seven fours.

For Malaysia, Muhammad Ramli top-scored with 61, while Saif Ullah Malik made 45 and Syed Aziz scored 40.

Nepal captain Sandeep Lamichhane was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 36 runs from 10 overs. Karan KC took two wickets, while Lalit Rajbanshi and Dipendra Singh Airee claimed one each.

The ACC Men’s Premier Cup 2026 will be held in Malaysia from August 30 to September 12. Nepal and Malaysia are in the same group at the ACC Premier Cup, alongside Bahrain, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.

Nepal will play Bahrain in its opening match on Monday.