KATHMANDU: Nepal has been knocked out of the ongoing Top End T20 Series in Australia after suffering a heartbreaking one-run defeat against Pakistan Shaheens on Friday.

The match, played at Darwin’s Marrara Cricket Ground, saw Nepal fall short of the 145-run target by just two runs, finishing with 143 runs for seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs. The loss ended Nepal’s hopes of reaching the semifinals in the 11-team tournament.

Captain Rohit Paudel was the standout performer for Nepal, scoring 52 runs off 44 balls with six fours and one six.

Dipendra Singh Airee made a valuable contribution of 41 runs, while Aasif Sheikh added 27 and Lokesh Bam chipped in with 10.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Wasim and Faisal Akram took two wickets each, while Mohammad Salman claimed one.

Earlier, Pakistan Shaheens, electing to bat first after winning the toss, posted 144 runs for the loss of nine wickets.

Irfan Khan top-scored with 42, followed by Abdul Samad with 26, Mohammad Wasim with 23, Yasir Khan with 18, and Mehran Mumtaz with 10.

Nepal’s bowlers produced a spirited effort as Sompal Kami took three wickets, Dipendra Singh Airee and Nandan Yadav claimed two apiece, and Kushal Bhurtel picked up one. However, Sandeep Lamichhane went wicketless, conceding 28 runs in his four overs.

With this loss, Nepal concluded the group stage with three defeats and two victories.

The team had earlier lost its first three matches—by 42 runs to Northern Territory Strike, 32 runs to Bangladesh ‘A’, and 31 runs to Melbourne Stars.

They bounced back strongly with wins over Hobart Hurricanes Academy by 66 runs and Melbourne Renegades Academy by 33 runs, but the narrow loss to Pakistan Shaheens ended their campaign.