Samshad Ansari completed a seven-wicket haul as Sharad Vesawkar-led Nepal ‘Orange’ edged a Paras Khadka-skippered Nepal ‘Red’ by 10 wickets to build a clear two-point lead in the Super League cricket tournament here at the Tribhuvan University Stadium on Wednesday.

The win put Orange at the top of the table with six points from their third consecutive victory, while Red are second with two points. CAN will hold another set of league among the top three teams after the first round.

Put in to bat first, a half century from Suraj Kurmi lifted Orange to 180 all out before Ansari’s sensational bowling saw Red bundled out for just 170 in 38.4 overs.

Red were right on the chase at 75-2 by the end of 21st over with Khadka and Sagar Pun consolidating their innings with a 49-run partnership. However, Sushant Bhari’s dismissal of Khadka (11) triggered a collapse in the Red innings. Ansari began with the scalp of well settled Pun reducing Red to 90-4 and it soon became 111-7 in no time.

Pun made 34 off 54 with six hits to the fence. Dilip Nath and Kumar Thapa (16) tried to keep Red in the game with a 44-run stand for the eighth wicket before the collapse resumed with the dismissal of the latter. Nath soon fell to Ansari for 36 from 31 that included three boundaries and two sixes.

Pushpa Thapa was Red’s third highest scorer with a 21-ball 18 hitting four boundaries. Ansari finished with the figures of 7-28 from 6.4 overs, while Manjeet Shrestha and Ramnaresh Giri also had one scalp apiece.

Earlier, Orange lost their opener Faizlur Rehman Khan (one) in the second over before Subash Khakurel and Kurmi added 68 runs for the second wicket.

Pun dismissed Khakurel for 34 off 65 in an innings that read two boundaries. Kurmi added another 28 with Vesawkar (20) for the third and 50 with Antim Thapa (20) for the fourth wickets to make sure his side puts a competitive total on the board.

Kurmi made an all-important 65 off 126 deliveries with eight boundaries and his dismissal in the 42nd over off Pushpa virtually ended Orange innings. Pun picked up 5-34 from 9.4 overs and Yagyaman Kumal had 3-29 for Red.

The Super League Tournament serves as national cricketers’ selection for the upcoming ICC World Cricket League Championship matches against Papua New Guinea slated for November 16 and 18 in UAE.