Aasif Sheikh's hundred carries Nepal past the UAE to the Premier Cup and an Asia Cup place

Nepal beat the United Arab Emirates by 44 runs at the Bayuemas Oval to win the ACC Men's Premier Cup and take the last available place at next year's Asia Cup

Opener Aasif Sheikh made 102 from 106 balls for his second one-day international hundred, and the 313 for 9 he anchored proved beyond a UAE side that was bowled out in the 50th over of the chase.

The win in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday carries Nepal to the 2027 Asia Cup in Bangladesh, where the Premier Cup winners fill the sixth and final place alongside Asia's five Test-playing nations — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

It is Nepal's second Premier Cup title, and their second final won at the expense of the same opponent, after they beat the UAE by seven wickets in the 2023 decider on home soil.

Aasif Sheikh sets the platform

Nepal won the toss and batted, and Sheikh and Arjun Kumal gave them the start the occasion demanded, putting on 97 for the first wicket from 126 balls before Kumal was run out for 43 from 63.

Sheikh went on to a measured hundred laced with eight fours and four sixes, adding 68 for the third wicket with Rohit Paudel, who made 40 from 44 balls.

It was the opener's second hundred in the format and his most valuable, arriving in a match that decided a place in Asia's premier one-day tournament.

Gulsan Jha's late acceleration

The innings was given its finishing kick by Gulsan Jha, whose 52 from 38 balls included three fours and four sixes and followed a stand of 67 with Paudel.

The UAE kept taking wickets in reply to that assault, Ibrar Ahmad returning 4-62 from his eight overs and Khuzaima Tanveer picking up two, but Nepal still finished on 313 for 9.

It was their highest total in an ODI against the UAE, beating the 289 they had made against them previously, and the third-highest of any Nepal innings in the format.

Chopra's hundred keeps the UAE alive

The chase was held together by wicketkeeper Rahul Chopra, who finished unbeaten on a hundred, with Tanish Suri making 42 and the middle order chipping in without ever settling the equation.

Nepal answered by rotating seven bowlers, every one of whom took at least a wicket. Karan KC was the most successful with three, and Lalit Rajbanshi took two.

The last UAE wicket fell in the 50th over, 44 runs short, with the required rate having climbed beyond eight an over well before the end.

Only the winners of the Premier Cup qualify for the Asia Cup, so defeat leaves the UAE to wait for another route into the tournament.

A tournament decided in the knockouts

Nepal had not been flawless on the way to the final, losing their last group match to Hong Kong before recovering to beat Oman in the semi-final.

Hong Kong took third place in the play-off at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, bowling Oman out for 144 and knocking off the runs for the loss of a single wicket with 181 balls to spare.

Bangladesh awaits in June

Five of the six places at the tournament are reserved for the ACC's full members, which left the Premier Cup to settle the last of them.

The 2027 Asia Cup runs from 18 June to 4 July and reverts to the 50-over format, with Bangladesh hosting the tournament for a sixth time.

For Nepal it means a second appearance at the tournament, and a set of fixtures against the full members they meet only rarely outside qualifying cycles.

Scorecard: Nepal 313 for 9 (Aasif Sheikh 102, Gulsan Jha 52; Ibrar Ahmad 4-62) beat United Arab Emirates by 44 runs at the Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur

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