Nepal, US under ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 ends in draw

A match between Nepal and the United States of America under the triangular one day series of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 has ended in a draw.

The match was played at the Moosa Cricket Stadium in the US.

With this, both the teams have shared a point each. Elected to batting first after winning the toss, Nepal posted a 275-run target in 49.2 overs at the loss of all wickets. Chasing down the target, the US hit 274 runs in the allotted 50 overs losing six wickets, thus tying the match at a draw.

As the match entered excitement level, the US needed a run off two balls in the final over for a win. Nepal’s Aadil Ansari dismissed Aaron Jones at the fifth ball while Rahul Jariwala was also run out at the sixth ball of the final over.

For the US, Steven Taylor hit 114 runs, Captain Monank Patel 85 runs and Jones 26 runs.

For Nepal, Ansari took two wickets, Sandeep Lamichhane and Sompal Kami one each.

The US needed six runs off one over. But, Ansari played in style and conceded only five runs in the final over, helping the match to end in a draw.

For Nepal, Vice-Captain Rohit Paudel made 62 runs, Aashif Shekh 61 runs and Dev Khanal 54 runs.

Similarly, Ansari contributed 36 runs and Kushal Bhurtel 19. Captain Lamichhane made 10 runs.

For the US, Rusty Theron claimed four wickets, Ali Khan and Saurabh Netravalkar two each. Ansari was announced the player of the match.

Nepal conceded a 13-run defeat to Oman in its first match under the series. Nepal is meeting Oman in its third match on Tuesday. 

Asian Cup qualifiers: Nepal lose to Kuwait

Nepal lost to Kuwait in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers.

Nepal lost to host Kuwait 1-4 in the third round Group A match played at the Jabir Al Ahmed Stadium in Kuwait last night.

Yousef Al Suleiman scored two goals while Fahad Alresidi and Mubarak Alfanini scored one each.

Darshan Gurung scored the only goal for Nepal. This is the second defeat of Nepal in the qualifiers. Earlier, Nepal had lost 0-2 to Jordan in the first match.

Nepal will now play its last match against Indonesia on June 14.

Cristiano Ronaldo: US judge dismisses rape lawsuit

A US judge has dismissed a rape allegation lawsuit against Cristiano Ronaldo because the accuser's lawyer relied on leaked and stolen records, BBC reported.

Kathryn Mayorga alleges that the Manchester United footballer raped her at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. 

He denies the allegations and has never been charged.

She reportedly reached an out-of-court settlement with the star in 2010, but has been seeking millions more than the $375,000 (£304,000) she received, according to BBC.

Ms Mayorga said that while she had agreed to the settlement shortly after the alleged incident, her emotional trauma at the time did not allow her to participate in the mediation process, and she felt pressured to accept the offer.

Before filing her complaint, Ms Mayorga's lawyer, Leslie Stovall, received "ill-gotten" information and documents which were confidential and privileged, US District Judge Jennifer Dorsey wrote.

The judge said the lawyer harmed Mr Ronaldo, 37, by conducting himself in "bad faith" through repeated use of stolen, privileged documents to prosecute the case.

In a 42-page ruling released on Friday and quoted by AFP, Judge Dorsey accused Mr Stovall of "abuses and flagrant circumvention of the proper litigation process" and said that as a result, "Mayorga loses her opportunity to pursue this case."

Last year, a magistrate judge recommended the case be dismissed due to Mr Stovall's conduct.

The BBC has contacted Mr Stovall for comment, BBC reported.

In 2019, US prosecutors said Cristiano Ronaldo would not face charges over the accusations as they could not "be proven beyond reasonable doubt".

The Clark County District Attorney's office in Las Vegas said Ms Mayorga reported an assault in 2009, but refused to state where it had happened or who the attacker was. As a result police were unable "to conduct any meaningful investigation". But the allegations were investigated again in 2018 at her request.

It followed a 2017 article in German magazine Der Spiegel, which reported that in 2010, Ms Mayorga reached an out-of-court settlement with the footballer for agreeing never to go public with the allegations. 

Ms Mayorga's lawyer said she had been inspired to re-open the case by the #MeToo movement.

Mr Ronaldo has not denied that the two met in Las Vegas in 2009, but said that what happened between them was consensual.

The BBC does not generally name people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but Ms Mayorga has given consent to make her name public, BBC reported.

Portugal, Spain win to set up Nations League Final 4 battle

Portugal and Spain picked up victories in the Nations League on Thursday to set up a battle between the Iberian neighbors for a spot in the Final Four, Associated Press reported.

Portugal took sole possession of the lead in Group 2 of the top-tier League A by defeating the Czech Republic 2-0, while Spain earned a first win and moved into second place by edging past struggling Switzerland 1-0 in Geneva.

Portugal, the inaugural champion in 2019, is two points ahead of Spain and three in front of the Czechs after three matches. Only the group winners make it to the Final Four, while the last-placed teams will be relegated.

“It’s still wide open,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said.

It was the second consecutive win for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal after it had opened with a draw against Spain, last year’s runner-up to France. 

The Spaniards ended their winless run with the victory over last-place Switzerland, which has lost all its matches. The Swiss hadn’t been beaten at home in eight years in a run of 23 matches, according to Associated Press.

“Professional soccer is about results,” Spain coach Luis Enrique said. “We were able to impose our style.”

Portugal opened the scoring with João Cancelo’s low shot from a narrow angle in the 33rd minute, and Gonçalo Guedes added to the lead five minutes later from inside the area after an assist by Bernardo Silva.

Defender Pepe made his 127th appearance, joining Luis Figo for third-best all-time for Portugal. The duo are behind the 145 appearances of João Moutinho and the 188 of Ronaldo. 

Spain got on the board in the 13th minute with Pablo Sarabia redirecting a cross by Marcos Llorente for a goal that had to be confirmed by video review to check for offside. 

“It was about time we won,” Sarabia said. “These three points are very valuable for us.”

It was the teams’ first meeting since Spain defeated the Swiss on penalties in the quarterfinals of the European Championship last year.

Portugal will close play in the June international window in Switzerland on Sunday, while Spain host the Czech Republic.

In the second-tier League B, Erling Haaland drew a blank in Norway’s 0-0 home draw with Slovenia. Haaland arrived as one of the Nations League’s leading scorers with three goals, Associated Press reported. 

Norway leads Group 4 while Slovenia, which was a man down from the 63rd after Miha Blazic was sent off, is in last place. Serbia won 1-0 at Sweden with a goal by Luka Jovic to jump to second place, three points ahead of the Swedes.

In League C, Kosovo defeated Northern Ireland 3-2, Greece routed Cyprus 3-0, Gibraltar drew 1-1 with Bulgaria and Georgia defeated North Macedonia 3-0.

Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Greece’s Tasos Bakasetas each scored Thursday to join Haaland and Turkey’s Serdar Dursun with three goals.

Estonia won 2-1 at Malta in League D, according to the Associated Press.