Nepal qualifies for ICC World T20 Championships

Abu Dhabi: Nepal today made history when they qualified for their maiden major ICC event by progressing to next year's World Twenty20 Championships after their five-wicket victory over Hong Kong in the Qualifiers here.

Chasing 144 runs for victory, Nepal survived a last-over scare to score the required 13 runs, with 10 runs coming from the first two deliveries and a last-ball misfield producing the winning runs at the Zayed Cricket Stadium here.

Also joining Nepal in the event proper was the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which successfully defended a modest score of 118 runs to upset the Netherlands by 10 runs. This will be the first time since 1996 World Cup that the UAE will make an appearance on the global stage.

The results from today's matches mean four sides have now sealed their places in the World Twenty20 after Afghanistan and Ireland booked their seats on Monday.

In the other matches of the day, Papua New Guinea beat Namibia by 25 runs and Scotland beat Italy by seven wickets. These two winners, as well as Hong Kong and the Netherlands, will now have a second chance to qualify for the World Twenty20 when they clash in cross-over matches tomorrow.