Nepal’s national cricket team endured back-to-back defeats in two T20 practice matches against South Australia on Thursday, as part of its ongoing tour of Australia in preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifiers.
In the morning fixture, Nepal lost by three wickets. Batting first, the Rhinos posted 146 runs for nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs. 
Bhim Sharki scored a run-a-ball 32, Dipendra Singh Airee added 26 off 19 balls, and Aasif Sheikh contributed 22 from 13 deliveries. Campbell Thompson, Thomas Brown, and Harry Manenti each picked up two wickets for South Australia.
In reply, South Australia chased down the target, finishing on 147 for seven. NP Winter led the charge with a quickfire 36 off 19 balls, while Hoogenboezem added 28 and MW Harvey chipped in with 27. For Nepal, Sompal Kami claimed three wickets, Nandan Yadav took 2 for 26, and captain Rohit Paudel finished with 1 for 25.
Later in the day, Nepal narrowly lost the second match by three runs while chasing a target of 161. The team was bowled out for 157 in 20 overs. Rupesh Kumar Singh top-scored with 37, followed by Lokesh Bam (32), Bhim Sharki (29), Kushal Bhurtel (11), and Aarif Sheikh (10).
Campbell Thompson starred again with the ball, taking four wickets. Tim Oakley, Tom Menzies, and Noah McFadden claimed two wickets each.
Earlier, South Australia won the toss and elected to bat, posting 160 for eight. Ryan King top-scored with 34, while Harry Manenti and Daniel Drew added 29 apiece. Dautzy Hoganboezem contributed 14, Thomas Brown remained unbeaten on 12, and Jack Winter and captain Mackenzie Harvey scored 12 and 11 respectively.
Nepal’s bowling attack saw Rupesh Singh, Karan KC, and Shahab Alam take two wickets each, while Dipendra Singh Airee and Kushal Bhurtel picked up one apiece.
Nepal had exited the Top End T20 Series in the group stage and has since been playing warm-up matches to fine-tune its squad. The team had recorded back-to-back wins against the local ACT side prior to the matches against South Australia. Nepal is scheduled to play a one-day match against South Australia on 30 August.
Nepal ‘A’ side falls to Assam 
In Guwahati, Nepal ‘A’ cricket team suffered defeat in the opening T20 practice match against the Assam Cricket Association on Thursday. The team lost by 15 runs under the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) method after rain interrupted play.
Nepal was chasing a target of 191 when the match was halted. At the time, the team had scored 64 runs for the loss of three wickets in eight overs. With no further play possible, Assam were declared winners, taking a 1–0 lead in the five-match series. 
Before the rain interruption, Sub Kansakar was unbeaten on 33, while Sundeep Jora remained on 2. Captain Anil Sah contributed 20 runs and Pawan Sarraf added 6. Assam’s Marimoy Dutta and Akash Sengupta each took one wicket.
Earlier, Assam posted 190 for eight in their allotted 20 overs after winning the toss. Sumit Ghadigaonkar top-scored with 34, followed by Avinav Choudhary (26), Akash Sengupta (24*), Rohit Sen (24), Sumit Kashyap (22), Saahil Jain (17), and both Abhilash Gogoi and Ayushman Malakar with 13 runs each.
Nepal’s bowling was led by Aakash Chand, who took three wickets. Sagar Dhakal and Vivek Kumar Yadav picked up two each, while Adil Alam Ansari claimed one. The second match of the series is scheduled for Friday.