KING CITY, Ont. — Oman pulled off a thrilling victory over Nepal, scoring 10 runs in the final over to win by one wicket with one ball to spare in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 action on Wednesday.
No. 11 batsman Kaleemullah, who goes by a single name, struck a four on the second-to-last ball, helping Oman reach 223 for nine. Nepal had earlier posted 220 for nine in their 50 overs.
In the final over, Kaleemullah and No. 9 batsman Shakeel Ahmed each contributed five runs off Nepal’s Sompal Kami. They ended the match with individual scores of six and 17, respectively.
Oman’s opener Latinder Singh top-scored with 41 runs.
Despite the loss, Nepal’s Gulsan Jha was named player of the match. The 18-year-old smashed 53 runs, including five sixes and three fours in his 35-ball innings. He also achieved a career-best five-wicket haul. Jha’s standout moment came in the 46th over, where he hammered 23 runs off Aqib Ilyas, hitting six, six, four, two, four, and one.
Nepal captain Rohit Paudel led his side with 60 runs.
The 19th-ranked Canadians, who kicked off the triangular series with a commanding 103-run win over No. 17 Nepal on Monday, are set to face No. 16 Oman on Friday, Nepal on Sunday, and Oman again on Sept. 26. All matches will be held at the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground.
World League 2 features eight teams, each playing 36 one-day internationals across nine triangular series, running through December 2026. The top four teams will advance to a World Cup qualifier to compete for the final four spots in the expanded 14-team Cricket World Cup, set to take place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Canada (5-4) currently sits second in the World League 2 standings, trailing 14th-ranked Netherlands (6-2). Oman (2-2 with one no-result) is in sixth, while Nepal (1-5) is further down the table.
Earlier this year, Canada swept No. 11 Scotland and 20th-ranked UAE in its first tri-series. However, the team lost four consecutive games to the 18th-ranked U.S. and host Netherlands in August.
Canada, which made its T20 World Cup debut this summer in the U.S. and West Indies, is aiming to qualify for the 50-over Cricket World Cup for the first time since 2011. The Canadian men previously appeared in the 1979, 2003, and 2007 tournaments, but exited after the group stage in all four editions.
In April 2023, the Canadian men regained their one-day international status for the first time in nearly a decade by finishing in the top four of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff in Bermuda.
