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Nepal captain Rohit Paudel wants more matches against top teams and Full Member nations after their close defeat to South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Nepal fell short of just one run securing their first-ever victory over a full member nation in T20Is when they scored 114 in reply to South Africa’s 116-run target.

"I am very proud of the unit, especially the way we bowled and batted, I'm very proud of that. We were very close but a little far away. In crunch moments we did well, but the way we fought was very good. If we get more exposure regularly then next games we will be on the other side [of the result],” Paudel said at the presentation.

In the chase, Paudel-led unit were in a comfortable position when they needed 18 runs off 18 balls with seven wickets in hand. Then, Tabraiz Shamsi brought South Africa back with a two-wicket over, followed by an 8-run over from Anrich Nortje.

With eight runs needed off the last over, Ottneil Baartman conceded six runs to win the game for the Proteas by only a single run.