Kathmandu, April 20 -- In a bid not to give away two crucial points while aiming to improve their net run rate, Nepal played slowly but steadily to register wins over the UAE, Oman and Hong Kong on April 13, 14 and 16, respectively, in the U19 World Cup Asia Qualifier.

"We are not looking at the net run rate, but are aiming for a win," Nepal's skipper Naren Bhatta had said after beating Hong Kong on April 16.

The cautious approach helped Nepal earn the perfect 6 points from three wins and go equal on points with Afghanistan. Given their modest run rate, Bhatta and his squad had their fingers crossed, hoping there would be no rain disturbance when they faced Afghanistan in the deciding game on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan were not w...