By Canadian Press

Kirton, Heyliger put on a show as Canada beats Nepal in cricket one-day international

Sep 16, 2024 | 3:38 PM

KING CITY, Ont. — Captain Nicholas Kirton scored 73 runs not out and Dilon Heyliger took five wickets as Canada celebrated its first one-day international on home soil in 11 years with a commanding 103-run win over Nepal in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 play Monday.

Kirton, batting fifth, hammered six sixes and three fours in his 44-ball knock to help the 19th-ranked Canadians score their first-ever one-day international win over No. 16 Nepal. Canada was blanked in a three-match ODI series in Nepal in February.

Kirton kept the scoreboard turning as Canada, languishing at 136 for five after 38 overs, scored 117 runs in its last 12 overs as Canada finished at 253 for eight. Nepal was all out for 150 in the 41st over.

It was a first-ever five-wicket haul in Canadian colours for Heyliger, who managed the feat at the expense of 31 runs in 10 overs.

Karan KC, batting 10th, led the limp Nepal batting attack with 27 runs. Sandeep Lamichhane, batting eighth, added 22.

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Canada, leapfrogging No. 11 Scotland to move into second place in the eight-team World League 2 table, improved to 5-4-0 while Nepal dropped to 1-4-0 in seventh place. The 14th-ranked Dutch top the table at 6-2-0.

The World League 2 teams each play 36 one-day internationals spread across nine triangular series through December 2026. The top four sides will go through to a World Cup qualifier that will decide the last four berths in the expanded 14-team Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The Canadian men regained their one-day international status for the first time in almost a decade by finishing in the top four of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff in April 2023 in Bermuda.

Nepal won the toss Monday and elected to field.

After Aaron Johnson was dismissed for 10 runs with Canada at 13 for one, fellow opener Navneet Dhaliwal steadied the ship with an innings of 48 off 90 balls. Heyliger added 30 runs (off 27 balls) and Harsh Thaker contributed 27.

Nepal and Oman meet Wednesday. Canada takes on Oman on Friday, Nepal on Sunday and Oman again on Sept. 26. The three teams will play a series of T20 games immediately after their 50-over matches.

Canada won all four matches in its opening World League 2 tri-series in February-March, sweeping Scotland and the host Emirates. But the Canadians lost four in a row to the 18th-ranked U.S. and host Netherlands, ranked 14th, in August.

The Dutch series came on the heels of the GT20 Canada tournament in Brampton, Ont., leaving the Canadians having to deal with jet lag and the switch from the 50- to 20-over game.

Canada which debuted in the T20 World Cup this summer in the U.S. and West Indies, is looking to get back to the showcase 50-over for the first time since 2011 after failing to qualify for the last three editions. The Canadian men also played in the 1979, 2003 and 2007 tournaments, exiting after the group stage in all four tournament appearances.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press