ICC WCL2 2026 Nepal vs Scotland May Window Kirtipur Recap

Nepal host Scotland at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur in the May 2026 leg of ICC Cricket World Cup League 2. This is the cycle that decides who progresses through the ODI World Cup 2027 qualification pathway, and any home series for Nepal carries an outsized weight in their bid to finish in the top three of the seven-team league.

Match Summary

Scotland won the toss and chose to bat. They posted 263/8 in 50 overs, with Richie Berrington making 67, George Munsey 48 at the top, and Chris Sole adding the late acceleration with 19 not out off 11 balls. Nepal chased it down with two balls to spare at 264/6. Rohit Paudel top-scored with 79 and Dipendra Singh Airee finished the chase with 41 not out off 28. Nepal won by 4 wickets.

It was Nepal's third home win of the WCL2 cycle and a result that kept them in the top-three picture.

Nepal Innings: The Chase Split

Nepal's phase data on the chase:

• Powerplay (overs 1-10): 58/1. Kushal Bhurtel and Asif Sheikh built a solid opening platform without giving Scotland the early wicket they wanted.
• Middle (overs 11-40): 145/4. This is where Paudel anchored. He came in at 74/2 in the 14th and never left.
• Death (overs 41-49.4): 61/1. Airee's 41 not out at a strike rate of 146 was the difference in the last 10 overs.

The required rate climbed to 7.2 with 12 overs left, then to 8.4 with five overs to go. Airee's strike rotation in the 47th and 48th overs — six singles in seven balls — brought the rate back to manageable, and the boundaries followed.

Scotland Chase Setup and Key Passages

Scotland's 263/8 was built around Berrington's 67. Munsey's 48 at the top gave Scotland a 70-run opening stand and they were 134/2 at the end of the 25th over. That was when Sandeep Lamichhane's middle-overs spell — 3 wickets in four overs — pulled Scotland back from a potential 290+ total.

Chris Sole's 19 not out off 11 in the death overs added 17 runs more than Nepal's analyst would have modelled, but Berrington running out of partners was the structural problem.

Paudel and Airee — The Anchor and Finisher Roles

The Paudel-Airee combination is now Nepal's clearest ODI signature. Paudel does the role most associate-nation no.3s cannot do consistently — anchor through the middle without leaving the chase under-rate. Airee does the finishing role most associate sides do not have in their squad at all.

Paudel's 79 came at a strike rate of 91. Airee's 41 came at 146. The numbers are different by design and complementary by intent. This is what Nepal has been building since 2023.

Qualification Race: Where Nepal Now Sit

After this match Nepal climbs into the top three of the seven-team WCL2 standings on points and net run rate combined. The top three from the seven-team league at the end of the cycle progress directly to the ODI World Cup 2027 Qualifier, with the bottom four eliminated.

Scotland, despite the loss, stay in the top three on points. The cycle still has multiple windows left, and the race is going to be decided by who picks up wins on the road, not just at home. Nepal's away schedule includes a Tilburg leg later in the year that will define their final position.

Related Reading

• Scotland vs USA WCL2 2026 104th match Kirtipur recap May 14
• Paudel and Airee anchor-finisher split — Nepal vs Netherlands 2026 ODI series
• ODI World Cup 2027 qualification pathway explained

A home win Nepal needed. The qualification race is closer than ever, and the next overseas window is where this cycle gets decided.