Kushal Bhurtel starred with both bat and ball as Nepal defeated UAE by three wickets in their final ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup match on Wednesday.
Bhurtel scored 71 runs off 43 balls with nine fours and four sixes and then took six wickets for 40 runs in 10 overs.
Nepal won the toss and elected to bowl, and Bhurtel struck early, dismissing UAE openers Aryans Sharma and Labpreet Singh in the first over.
The UAE batsmen struggled to get going against the Nepali bowlers, and they were eventually bowled out for 158 in 44 overs.

Bhurtel was ably supported by Shyam Dhakal, who took two wickets, and Pawan Sarraf and Kushal Malla, who took one.
In reply, Nepal lost early wickets, but Bhurtel and Dev Khanal put on a 98-run partnership for the second wicket to put the home side in control.
Khanal was eventually dismissed for 24, but Bhurtel continued to bat aggressively and took Nepal to within touching distance of victory.

The victory was much-needed for Nepal, who had lost their previous two matches in the tournament.
Bhurtel’s all-around performance was the highlight of the match, and he was rightly named the player of the match.