At that stage, Nepal were 54/4 with Shakit Gauchan 17 not out and Binod Das five not out.

The innings started early with Nepal bowling their overs so quickly, and Zimbabwe had 10 overs before the lunch break was taken.

By that stage Nepal were 29/2 but after the resumption the 13th over undid Nepal when Waddington Mwayenga removed Kanishka Chaugai for 12 and Prem Chaudhary for 0, both of them bowled in the space of three balls. It wasn't all Zimbabwe's way however, as in the process of fielding a relay ball from the outfield, Michael Brundle attempted a run out as the batsmen attempted three. There was no-one backing up and the ball went for four runs, giving Nepal's scored a boost by seven.

Nepal were 43/3 by that stage and facing a huge task in their bid to score the 248 needed for victory.

Mwayenga had three for 15 from eight overs and Mbwembwe had one for 31 off six overs.

At one stage it seemed the total might be 300-plus, but improved Nepalese bowling pegged the Zimbabwe scoring rate back considerably, especially between the 15th and 30th overs when it seemed the side had run into a brick wall.

However, opener Brendon Taylor, who celebrated his 16th birthday two days ago, and Tatenda Taibu enjoyed a 135-run partnership, their 100 stand coming off 146 balls.

Taylor scored a century, a monument to his concentration. It was not a block-busting innings, he hit only five boundaries, but in the context of the game, it proved important for Zimbabwe in overcoming the determined Nepalese slow bowling.

He had to wait until the last ball of the innings to get the chance to achieve his century and a simple tap and run provided the run he was looking for. He took 130 balls and s Taibu scored his 50 off 83 balls and finished with 65 off 93 balls.

The century was the first in the tournament to be scored at Lincoln.

Nepal, after being hit for 97 in the first 15 overs, made clever use of the end of the fielding restrictions and the skills of their slow bowlers to restrict the Zimbabwe scoring.

Between the 30th and 50th overs, they scored 119 runs, a marked contrast to the 31 runs between the 15th and 30th overs.

After the earlier good work done by Shakit Gauchan and Sanjam Regmi, Lakpa Lama bowled 10 overs for 41 runs.

However, the faster bowlers offered more hope for the batsmen and Binod Das went for 57 off eight overs.

So quickly did Nepal get through their overs that play continued after a 10-minute break for another 35 minutes before the lunch break.

After being 97/0 after 15 overs, Zimbabwe reached the 30th over at 128/1, a pathetic position after the start they enjoyed.

At one stage Zimbabwe were scoring at 7.33 runs an over, and at the 15 over mark they were at 6.47 an over.

But clever Nepalese bowling saw the run rate reduced to 4.27. The only boundary in 15 overs was off the last ball of the 30th over.

A significant breakthrough occurred in the 22nd over when Charles Coventry was caught at the wicket by Manoj Katuwal for 64 scored off 79 balls. His dismissal followed him being dropped off a simple chance in the covers to Sanjam Regmi.

Chief architect of the Nepalese revival was left-arm spinner Shakit Gauchan. He bowled 10 overs unchanged and had none for 32 while Regmi had one for 33 from his 10.

Brendon Taylor was poised on 49 not out at the 30 over mark while Tatenda Taibut had hit only six runs off 30 balls before hitting the boundary off the penultimate ball of the 30th over.

Their bowlers were hit to all points of the compass as Zimbabwe opening batsmen Charles Coventry and Brendon Taylor feasted on some tame bowling which was ill-equipped to put the pressure on the Zimbabweans.

Binod Das, the captain, took himself off after his first three overs went for 20 runs whilie Manjit Shrestha had 25 runs hit off his first three overs.

The 50 came up in the ninth over and Coventry, enjoying the luxury of being able to hit across the line to wide open unprotected spaces, scored his 50 off 53 balls in the 15th over, by which stage Zimbabwe were 97/0. He celebrated by hitting the next ball for four more.

Taylor was 34 not out at the same stage while Shakit Gauchan saw his figures re-arranged with 23 runs coming off his five overs.

Zimbabwe, a full Test-playing nation, goes into the game as the favoured side, but Nepal have captured the imagination at this tournament and have been the biggest movers having beaten Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Coached by former Sri Lankan Test player Roy Dias, the Nepalese found themselves bowling first after Zimbabwe won the toss.

Conditions at Lincoln were mild. There was no wind, it was cloudy overhead with a hint of warmer, sunny conditions as the day advances.

Umpires today are: Mohammad Nanabhay (South Africa) and Tony Cooper (Fiji).

The teams are:

Zimbabwe: Tatenda Taibu (captain), Michael Brundle, Elton Chigumbura, Charles Coventry, Sean Ervine, Stanley Marisa, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Alfred Mbwebme, Waddington Mwayenga, Brendon Taylor. Brendon Taylor (12th man).

Nepal: Binod Das (captain), Kanishka Chaugai, Yashnant Subedi, Bardan Chalise, Shakit Gauchan, Prem Chaudhary, Manjit Shrestha, Sanjam Regmi, Manoj Katuwal, Lakpa Lama, Pramod Basnet. Basant Regmi (12th man).