KATHMANDU: Qatar broke its losing streak by defeating Japan by three wickets on Wednesday in the ICC T20 World Cup Asia & East Asia-Pacific Super Six stage. With this result, Oman and Nepal, already topping the points table, have secured their places in next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Oman and Nepal remain unbeaten with six points each, though Oman leads on net run rate (1.024 vs. Nepal’s 0.357). Both teams will play their third Super Six match on Wednesday evening.

The top three teams from this stage qualify for the World Cup. Meanwhile, UAE, Japan, and Qatar have two points each, and Samoa remains without points.

Even if these teams win their remaining games, they cannot surpass four points, ensuring Nepal and Oman’s qualification.

Nepal’s third T20 World Cup appearance

Nepal debuted in the T20 World Cup in 2014 in Bangladesh under captain Paras Khadka. They defeated Hong Kong by 80 runs and Afghanistan by nine runs but lost to Bangladesh by eight wickets, missing the next stage.

Since then, Nepal has participated in three more qualifiers. In 2015, during the Global Qualifier in Ireland and Scotland, Nepal won only against the USA. Four years later, they lost to Singapore by 82 runs and Qatar by four wickets, remaining at the Asian level.

In February 2022, Nepal reached the semifinals of the Global Qualifier in Oman but fell short against UAE, losing by 78 runs. In 2023, playing at home, Nepal defeated UAE in the semifinals, securing a World Cup berth after a decade.

However, in last year’s jointly hosted World Cup by West Indies and the USA, Nepal’s performance did not match the decade-old standard.

They began the tournament in Group D with a six-wicket loss to Netherlands, could not face Sri Lanka due to rain, narrowly lost to South Africa by one run, and ended with a 21-run defeat to Bangladesh.