Late bloomer Ishan Pandey is just what the doctor ordered for Nepal at No. 3 as the 26-year-old medic swapped a stethoscope for a Player of the Match award, notching a second half-century in just his third ODI in a win over USA. 

Photo credit: ICC

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
Nepal’s stranglehold over USA on home soil continued on Friday as the host side put in a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, propelled by half-centuries from Dipendra Singh Airee and eventual Player of the Match Ishan Pandey to record a lopsided 122-run win over USA in the final ODI of USA’s tour of Kathmandu for ICC Cricket World Cup League Two at Tribhuvan University Stadium. Pandey arrived at No. 3 and started slowly before later gaining steam to top-score with 84 off 83 balls before Airee turned on the afterburners upon entering at No. 5 with 12 overs to go to blitz 59 off 36 balls in Nepal’s total of 317 for 8 before USA were bowled out for 195 in reply. Airee took 2 for 26 in the field as well in a superb all-round show as USA were never in the chase, stumbling to 95 for 7 before inevitably succumbing. 
 
USA won the toss and chose to field first after a delayed start due to morning rain and dew, though no overs were reduced. USA played an unchanged lineup from their win over Scotland two days earlier as captain Monank Patel continued to stay out of action with an undisclosed ailment. 
 
Saurabh Netravalkar started off the match with a maiden to Kushal Bhurtel, but Nepal took control of the match in the next over and never let up as Aasif Sheikh slapped a trio of fours through cover off Rushil Ugarkar. Bhurtel punished Ugarkar’s subsequent over in the fourth for three boundaries of his own to go along with a wide down leg side for five extras in a 19-run over which also saw Ugarkar put down a difficult one-handed return chance to his right with Bhurtel on 11. 
 
Shubham Ranjane replaced Netravalkar in the attack for the ninth over and fared little better than Ugarkar initially as three fours in the over by Aasif took the opening partnership past 50. The pair eventually put on 69 runs for the first wicket before Bhurtel fell for 29 in the 13^th to Ranjane as a leg stump half-volley was flicked low to Sai Mukkamalla’s right at midwicket for a sharp catch. Aasif fell just after drinks for 43 in the 19^th over upon Ugarkar’s return to the attack, cramped for room trying to cut a rising delivery and edging through to wicketkeeper Smit Patel to make it 84 for 2. 
 
Pandey had taken eight balls to get off the mark after arriving at No. 3, but with Nepal captain Rohit Paudel now by his side, the 26-year-old left-hander started to open up. He launched a full delivery from Netravalkar over long-on for six in the 27^th before Paudel slog swept Nosthush Kenjige for six in the 31^st to bring up their half-century partnership. On his first delivery after the 34-over drinks break, Pandey tapped a single through point off Ugarkar to bring up a 61-ball half-century, his second in a row in just his third career ODI after debuting against USA last Saturday. Ugarkar took more punishment from Pandey in the 37^th as a flick through fine leg was followed by back-to-back cuts for a trio of boundaries to bring up the century partnership. 
 
The third-wicket stand eventually reached 110 before Paudel was given lbw for 46 despite his attempted sweep against Milind Kumar appearing to have come off the gloves and dribbling toward fine leg without ever hitting the pads. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise for Nepal though as Paudel’s 77 strike rate wound up looking pedestrian compared to the onslaught carried out by Airee. Pandey struck his last two boundaries off Kumar in the 40^th before getting out in the 41^st when he drove Ranjane to Shehan Jayasuriya at long-off, who took an excellent catch diving forward to make it 215 for 4. 
 
Airee was only on 4 off 5 balls at that stage, but soon kicked things into high gear by charging Harmeet Singh in the 42^nd to slam him over long-off for six. Gulshan Jha hit Netravalkar for six in the 45^th before falling to Ranjane in the 46^th for 15 on a slash to Kenjige at deep third to make it 262 for 5. 
 
Airee survived an ankle high chance at extra cover on 37 off Netravalkar that was shelled by Mukkamalla reaching forward. The single taken off the miss put Aarif Sheikh on strike, who then pulled Netravalkar’s next ball over deep square leg for six. A single then put Airee back on strike and two balls later he swatted Netravalkar high over long-on for his second six to move to 44. After a single by Aarif to start the 48^th put Airee back on strike, he carved Ranjane with an audacious helicopter shot over point for six to bring up a 29-ball half-century. 
 
Rather than have Netravalkar bowl out his full quota, Ugarkar returned one more time in the 49^th and was hit for six by both Nepal batters. Airee played an outrageous shovel on one leg over cover for his six before he was runout two balls later by Ugarkar, who fielded off his own bowling at silly mid-off and connected at the non-striker’s end to wrap up Airee’s innings at 300 for 6. But with Aarif back on strike after the runout, the next ball was flicked over square leg for a maximum. The final over saw two cosmetic runouts completed for USA as Kenjige fired a relay from deep square leg to deny a second to Sompal Kami before Harmeet completed a simple relay from long-on off the last ball of the innings in which Aarif showed no interest in coming back for a second run down the ground, resulting in Nandan Yadav being dismissed for 1 to end the innings. 
 
Ranjane finished with USA’s best figures in the match, taking 3 for 61 off 10 overs. Kumar took 1 for 39 in eight overs of offspin. Ugarkar was the only other wicket-taker, but was expensive in conceding 1 for 81 off nine overs. Kenjige was USA’s most economical bowler, ending with 0 for 19 off seven. Harmeet was tidy early before getting hit out of the attack to finish with 0 for 45 off seven. Netravalkar’s figures also went south after a sharp opening spell of 0 for 16 off four overs and he ended with 0 for 70 off nine. 
 
Each of Smit Patel’s big scores on this tour involved an early life, however there was no such luck in Friday’s chase as he edged the fourth ball of USA’s reply to Aasif behind the stumps for an early strike to Kami. Jayasuriya entered at No. 3 and teamed with Shayan Jahangir to steady USA’s innings with a 53-run partnership. Jahangir was the aggressor, driving Airee’s offspin for six in the fourth over before doing it again off left-arm spinner Lalit Rajbanshi in the ninth. A boundary by Jayasuriya in the 10^th off Airee brought up the half-century partnership between the pair. 
 
But things quickly unraveled for USA with the introduction of Sandeep Lamichhane in the 11^th. Jahangir survived a straightforward missed stumping on a charge down the wicket. But the miss wound up costing Nepal nothing as Jahangir promptly edged his next delivery behind on an attempted cut that was juggled by Aasif before holding onto the second effort to dismiss Jahangir for 25. Airee then made it 55 for 3 to start the 12^th when he bowled Jayasuriya through the gate for 26 with an arm ball. 
 
After a brief period of resistance from the middle order took USA to drinks at 81 for 3 in 17 overs, a rapid collapse began five balls after play resumed when Kumar was given lbw to Lamichhane for 12 after misreading a googly and defending down the wrong line. Rajbanshi then gained a favorable lbw decision on Ranjane for 2 in the 21^st after an appeal was upheld on a false sweep, though replays indicated Ranjane had been struck outside the line of off stump. Lamichhane rattled the stumps in the next over, bowling Mukkamalla for 22 playing back to a googly that kept low. Rajbanshi then had Harmeet out for a third-ball duck in his next over, chipping tamely to Paudel at midwicket, to complete a slide of four wickets for 11 runs making it 95 for 7. 
 
Sanjay Krishnamurthi teamed with Kenjige for a 70-run stand to save USA from further embarrassment and brighten up a bleak-looking scorecard. After a sedate start advancing to 13 off 20 balls, Krishnamurthi attacked the part-time legspin of Bhurtel in the 28^th, punching a six over long-on into the second-tier media box before slapping a half-tracker next ball over wide long-on for another maximum. His scoring rate never fell under a run a ball afterward and a pull through midwicket for four off Kami in the 31^st brought up the half-century partnership, of which Kenjige scored 10 runs. 
 
Krishnamurthi drove Rajbanshi into the top of the sightscreen in the 32^nd for his third six before tapping a single into midwicket off the same bowler in the 34^th to raise a 42-ball half-century as drinks were taken at the end of the over. Three balls after play resumed, Krishnamurthi pulled Gulshan Jha’s pace over midwicket for six, but Jha got his revenge next ball by beating Krishnamurthi’s tentative defensive prod to bowl him for 56 as USA’s faint comeback charge was snuffed out at 165 for 8. 
 
Jha took his second in the 39^th when Netravalkar was bounced out, gloving awkwardly down the leg side for 10 to make it 181 for 9. After Kenjige swept Airee for four in the 40^th and then powered him through long-on for another boundary in the 42^nd, he fell next ball picking out Bhurtel on the midwicket boundary with a slog sweep for 29 to end the match. 
 
Lamichhane turned in a vintage spell of legspin to end with 3 for 30 off 10 overs to lead Nepal with the ball. Rajbanshi was the only other bowler to complete his quota, ending with 2 for 38. Jha took 2 for 36 off six while Kami ended with 1 for 33 off seven. Yadav ended with 0 for 17 off three overs while Bhurtel leaked 13 off his lone over. 
 
Despite the loss, USA still sits at the top of the Cricket World Cup League Two points table with 38 points from 28 matches. Scotland also has 38 points, but hold an inferior net run rate to USA. Scotland only has four matches remaining in the three-year tournament while USA has eight matches remaining, leaving them in the driver’s seat for the overall title. The win for Nepal takes them two points clear of Namibia for sole possession of fifth place while they sit four points behind the Netherlands, who have 12 matches remaining with a total of 28 points from 24 games while Nepal only has eight matches left to play. 
 
USA’s next action in Cricket World Cup League Two is due to begin next month in a tri-series with Canada and the Netherlands. Though the series is expected to take place in Canada beginning on June 6, no formal announcement has been made by the ICC or Cricket Canada regarding an official match schedule.