Nepal Men's Cricket Team Creates History, Claims ODI status. Twitterati Say 'Dreams Do Come True'

The other play-off game saw Hong Kong lose their ODI place after a defeat by the Netherlands

Nepal’s men cricket team on March 15 created history after they secured one-day international status for the first time with a six-wicket victory over Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers in Harare.

Sandeep Lamichhane and Dipendra Airee were the star players. They picked four wickets each at the Old Hararians Sports Club as Nepal dismissed their opponents for 114 in 27.2 overs after they elected to field first upon winning the toss.

None of the PNG players could cross the 20-run mark in their innings with the highest score being 19 by Charles Amini.

In reply, Nepal reached the target in the 23rd over, losing just four wickets in the process. 18-year-old Dipendra Singh Airee scored an unbeaten half-century to ensure that Nepal would become an ODI team until at least 2022, with Papua New Guinea losing their elite status.

Nepal skipper Paras Khadka hailed his “amazing” team and said: “It’s massive, it’s something we have worked towards for a very long time.”

Soon after Nepal accorded with ODI status by the ICC, former cricket legends Michael Clarke, former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed and others took to Twitter to congratulate Nepal’s side on their achievement.

Meanwhile, the other play-off game saw Hong Kong lose their ODI place after a defeat by the Netherlands.

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