Nepal move above Canada after a 24 run victory
Rohit Paudel scored 101 from 127 balls as Nepal defeated Canada by 24 runs at Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman on October 11, 2026, moving into sixth place in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 standings. Canada, chasing 236, were dismissed for 211 in 48.4 overs after Nepal had been bowled out for 235 in their allotted 50 overs.
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The result changed the order of two teams fighting to protect their One Day International status. Nepal entered the match seventh with 24 points from 32 games and finished it sixth with 26 from 33. Canada slipped from sixth to seventh, remaining on 25 points after 34 matches.
Paudel's third ODI century earned him the Player of the Match award. Gulshan Jha supplied the innings' fastest substantial contribution, making 48 from 34 balls, while Basir Ahmed added 30 and Arjun Kumal scored 23. Four Nepal bowlers then took two wickets each to prevent Canada from completing the chase.
This was Nepal's opening match of their final League 2 series, not the opening game of the tournament in Oman. Canada had already lost to the hosts by 41 runs. Their second successive defeat left them with two matches remaining in a competition in which each team plays 36.
For Nepal, the win delivered two points without reopening the route to a finish in the top four. That opportunity had already disappeared. Their immediate objective is now a place in the top six, the position identified in match reports as necessary to retain the ODI status they received in 2018.
Paudel carries the innings after early losses
Canada won the toss and chose to field at the ground also identified as Oman Cricket Academy Ministry Turf 1. Nepal's opening exchanges gave Canada an early return on that decision: Aasif Sheikh made four from three balls before Aaron Johnson caught him off Akhil Kumar, while Ishan Pandey was dismissed without scoring.
Kumal contributed 23 from 54 balls, but Nepal needed a much larger innings to build a defensible total. Paudel provided it, hitting eight fours and one six during his 127 ball stay. His 101 accounted for approximately 43 percent of Nepal's 235 runs, showing how much of the batting responsibility rested on him.
Ahmed's 30 from 57 balls offered another substantial contribution. Dipendra Singh Airee made six and Karan KC eight, leaving Paudel, Jha, Ahmed and Kumal responsible for 202 runs between them. That was approximately 86 percent of the team total.
The distribution matters because Nepal's score was not built through contributions spread evenly across the order. Paudel supplied the largest share, Ahmed and Kumal added support, and Jha brought a contrasting scoring tempo. Nepal nevertheless lost all ten wickets, with Canada's attack keeping the target below 250.
Jha gives Nepal a faster scoring gear
Jha's 48 from 34 balls included four fours and three sixes. Those boundary shots produced 34 of his runs, or just over 70 percent of his innings. He finished two runs short of a half century, but his scoring rate was the highest among Nepal's main contributors.
His strike rate, the number of runs scored per 100 balls, was approximately 141.2. Paudel's was about 79.5, Ahmed's 52.6 and Kumal's 42.6. These figures show the different jobs performed within the same innings: Paudel accumulated the largest score, while Jha added runs much more quickly.
Paudel and Jha together made 149, approximately 63 percent of Nepal's total. Their combination gave the bowlers something to defend despite the early dismissals and limited returns from several other batters. Canada needed 236 from 300 legal deliveries, an initial required rate of 4.72 runs per over.
A third century puts Paudel ahead
The hundred was Paudel's third in ODI cricket. His previous centuries were 126 against Papua New Guinea in March 2022 and 109 against the United Arab Emirates in 2024. The Canada innings added another opponent to that list and came in a match carrying immediate consequences for Nepal's league position.
With three ODI centuries, Paudel moved ahead of Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee, who were each credited with two. He therefore became Nepal's leading century scorer in the format, according to the career figures reported for this match.
An update during the innings recorded him on 100 from 125 balls. The completed innings was 101 from 127, so those figures describe different moments rather than conflicting final scores. His eight fours and one six contributed 38 runs, with the remaining 63 coming through other scoring shots.
Reports do differ over Nepal's captaincy. Some identify Paudel as captain, while others apply that role to Sandeep Lamichhane. Without an official team sheet to resolve the discrepancy, the match's central contributions are best distinguished by performance: Paudel led the batting, and Lamichhane was among the four bowlers who took two wickets.
Canada fall short despite several contributions
Johnson led Canada's chase with 44 from 49 balls. Shreyas Movva made 26 from 34, captain Hamza Tariq scored 26 from 29, and Kumar remained unbeaten on 30 from 40. Canada had several useful innings but no contribution approaching the size of Paudel's century.
Reports disagree about the batter who scored 35. Most identify Samit Gohel and give his innings as 35 from 59 balls; another identifies Harsh Thaker as the scorer. The team total and margin of defeat are consistent, but that individual attribution cannot be settled from the conflicting accounts.
Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav and Lamichhane each took two wickets for Nepal. Their combined eight wickets show that the defence was shared across the attack. The remaining two dismissals are not detailed in the match summaries.
Canada were all out in 48.4 overs, meaning 48 completed overs and four further legal balls, not 48.4 as a decimal number. Ten legal deliveries remained unused. Their 211 was 24 below Nepal's score of 235, producing the recorded victory margin, and 25 short of the 236 required to win.
Kumar had also been Canada's most successful bowler, taking four wickets. Sukhjinder Singh claimed three, while the bowler variously named Zahoor Shirzad, Zahid Shirzad or Zahid Siraj was credited with two. Those reported figures account for nine Nepal wickets; the final dismissal method is not specified.
Why sixth place matters more than the top four
League 2 has two separate concerns at this stage: progression toward the 2027 ODI World Cup and retention of ODI status. The top four teams advance directly to the final qualifying tournament. The bottom four must enter a playoff to pursue a place there, so missing the top four does not itself mean the entire World Cup qualification route has ended.
Before Nepal faced Canada, the United States led with 47 points from 34 matches, Scotland had 45 from 36, and the Netherlands had 38 from 32. Those three teams had already secured places in the final qualifier. Oman stood fourth with 33 points from 29 games, ahead of Namibia on 31 from 35.
Nepal's position explains why the Canada victory could not revive their direct qualification prospects. Starting with 24 points and four games remaining, four wins would have taken them to 32. Oman already had 33. After beating Canada, Nepal still had a maximum possible total of 32, with 26 points and three matches left.
The more immediate contest is below those leading teams. Nepal now have a one point advantage over Canada and one additional game to play. UAE entered this round eighth with 19 points from 31 matches. Nepal's rise into sixth is therefore meaningful, but their current position is not the same as a completed campaign or a confirmed retention of ODI status.
The correct Nepal total after this victory is 26 points from 33 matches. One report explicitly corrected an earlier points error. The distinction is consequential: 24 was Nepal's total before the match, while the victory added two points and moved them above Canada.
Three fixtures remain for Nepal
Nepal's remaining schedule contains two matches against Oman and a second meeting with Canada. The reported dates use Nepal's calendar, with the next game scheduled for Tuesday, Asोज 27. The return fixture against Canada is listed for Saturday, Asोज 31, followed by Oman on Monday, Kartik 2.
The sequence of results and fixtures is:
- Before October 11: Oman defeated Canada by 41 runs in the series opener.
- October 11: Nepal defeated Canada by 24 runs and moved into sixth place.
- Tuesday, Asoj 27: Nepal are scheduled to face Oman.
- Saturday, Asoj 31: Nepal are scheduled to face Canada again.
- Monday, Kartik 2: Nepal are scheduled to complete their series against Oman.
Reports describe the retention equation differently. One says Nepal need another victory over Canada and at least one win in their two Oman matches. Another says Nepal should win all three remaining games and that Canada's subsequent results will help determine the outcome. These are different descriptions of the required finish, rather than a single confirmed qualification calculation.
The points arithmetic is more straightforward. Two wins would take Nepal from 26 to 30 points; three would take them to 32. Canada, with 25 points and two games remaining, can reach a maximum of 29. Beating Canada again would therefore affect both teams directly, adding two points to Nepal while denying their closest current rival a winning return.
Oman present a separate challenge. The hosts entered this match fourth and had already beaten Canada, while still competing for the remaining direct qualifying place. Nepal's two fixtures against them connect the contest near the bottom of the standings with the race higher up the table.
Key Points
- Nepal beat Canada by 24 runs after making 235 and dismissing their opponents for 211 in 48.4 overs.
- Rohit Paudel scored 101 from 127 balls, his third ODI century, and was named Player of the Match.
- Gulshan Jha added 48 from 34 balls, while Basir Ahmed contributed 30.
- Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav and Sandeep Lamichhane each took two wickets.
- Nepal rose to sixth with 26 points from 33 games; Canada dropped to seventh with 25 from 34.
- Nepal cannot finish in the top four and are now pursuing a finish that preserves ODI status.
- Three matches remain for Nepal: two against Oman and one against Canada.
