KING CITY, Ont. – Former captain Saad Bin Zafar scored 33 not out Tuesday to lead Canada to a four-wicket win over Nepal in a T20 cricket match.
After Nepal scored 139 for six in its 20 overs, the Canadian men reached their victory target with three balls to spare at Maple Leaf Cricket Ground.
Anil Sah and Aasif Sheikh led Nepal with 41 and 40 runs, apiece, in a 70-run opening partnership after Canada won the toss and elected to field.
Captain Nicholas Kirton scored 26 runs for Canada with opener Dilpreet Bajwa adding 25. Zafar slammed four fours and one six in his 18-ball knock as Canada finished at 140 for six.
Tuesday’s match was the fourth in the six-game No Frills T20 Cup featuring Canada, Nepal and Oman. The Canadians previously beat Nepal by 14 runs and lost to Oman by eight wickets.
Canada wraps up the T20 series on Thursday against Oman.
The three teams played an ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series at the same venue last month, with Canada winning all four matches to move atop the standings at 8-4.
The eight World League 2 teams each play 36 one-day internationals spread across nine triangular series through December 2026. The top four sides will go through to a World Cup qualifier that will decide the last four berths in the expanded 14-team Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The bottom four teams still have a chance to get to the World Cup qualifier, via another tournament from which the top two teams move on.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024