Asif Sheikh's century powers Nepal past UAE into Asia Cup 2027

Nepal's cricket team has qualified for the 2027 Asia Cup after beating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 44 runs in the final of the ACC Men's Premier Cup. The match was played at Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur. The win secured Nepal's place in the 2027 Asia Cup.

Nepal won the toss and chose to bat first. Openers Asif Sheikh and Arjun Kumal put on 97 runs for the first wicket to give the team a good start. Kumal was out for 43 off 63 balls, hitting six fours. Asif Sheikh then held firm at the crease and added 68 runs for the third wicket with captain Rohit Paudel.

Asif Sheikh batted brilliantly to complete his century off 106 balls. He scored 102 runs in his innings, hitting 8 fours and 4 sixes. It was his second ODI century. Nepal scored 313 for 9 in 50 overs, their highest ODI score against the UAE. Nepal had earlier scored 289 against the UAE in Kirtipur in May. It is also Nepal's third-highest ODI score.

Chasing a target of 314, the UAE got off to a reasonable start but kept losing wickets and fell short of the target. Their star batter Rahul Chopra scored a century, finishing unbeaten on 100. Tanish Suri scored 42 and captain Harpreet Bhatia made 33, but neither could take the team closer to victory. The UAE were bowled out for 269 in 49.1 overs.

For Nepal, Karan KC took three wickets, while Lalit Rajbanshi picked up two. Sandeep Lamichhane, Rohit Paudel, Gulshan Jha, Bashir Ahmad and Dipendra Singh Airee took one wicket each.

With this win, Nepal have become the latest team to qualify for the 2027 ODI Asia Cup. The winner of the Men's Premier Cup, organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), earns a place in the Asia Cup. With Nepal's qualification, six teams have now been confirmed for the 2027 ODI Asia Cup. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have already qualified. The 2027 Asia Cup will be held in Bangladesh from 18 June to 4 July.