Nepal are playing Namibia in their World Cricket League match this weekend. Onlinekhabar caught up with wicket keeper batsman Subash Khakurel, who is not in the squad this time, to talk about different aspects of the important fixture. Here’s what he had to say:
D ‘minus 1’
A day before match day, the team meets, usually before dinner to discuss its strategy for the game. The coach briefs the players on the roles they are expected to play, and how they fit in with the team’s overall plan. This is important because the players need to know exactly what the team expects from them.
Then after dinner, the captain and the coach meet to tentatively decide who they want to play.
Meanwhile, the players prepare their kitbag for the match, pack everything in order, and sleep well.
On D day
All players have their personal daily routine. This helps them gain confidence in their game. For example, there is a set time at which you wake up, the order in which you put on your match outfit, and so on.
The toss
If we win the toss, we should bat because on this ground it is usually a bit cold and because of that the ball faces some resistance in the air. This makes batting a bit difficult. But in the afternoon it gets easier.
The team
I think the team that we have now is balanced. The batting order is rich in experience, and the bowlers are in good shape.
Opening
I think Naresh Budhayar will open the batting, and most probably Gyanendra Malla will be his partner. Naresh has been playing well as opening batsman, and Gyanendra’s experience opening for the team in T20 makes him good pick. Then at two down, we have Sagar Pun, who is also in good form.
Middle order
With Binod Bhandari, Raju Rijal, Paras Khadka and Sharad Vesawker, the middle order also looks solid. Basanta Regmi and Shakti Gauchan can also bat. We have a team that can bat deep. The main problem with our middle order is that during the practice matches, the top order batsmen perform well, and the middle order does not get a chance to play under pressure. But experience at the international level makes up for it.
I believe that the coach is planning to go in with seven batsmen this time as matches played in Kirtipur have historically been low-scoring ones.
A competitive score
I think around 250 would be a competitive score on this ground. I would not say it would be a winning score, but it will definitely challenge the opposition. Nepal has been a ‘chasing’ side, historically we have won more matches batting second that batting first.
To get to 250, all we need is for one of the batsmen to take the lead and others to support him. That one batsman could be anyone.
The finishing
Our team’s finishing has not been that great in the past few matches. For example, in the match against PNG, we lost with a very small margin. But we have the best available finishers in Bindo and Sharad. The team would be counting on them to give the team a good finish, especially in batting.
The opponent
During the U-19 WC in Australia, we played the Namibian team and the current captain Stephan Bard was also in the team. So I have a feel of their game. Namibia is a team that has always been one of the top most associate countries, but for them progress has been slow. They have been in the top division for over a decade, but they have not been able to make the cut into the big league.
But that said, the Namibian players play lot of cricket in South Africa, one of the top countries in world cricket. Every player must have played at least 40-50 list A matches in SA.
On paper, they have a better system, and a better board. But if you look at the skills and talent, Nepal is better. We are at a stage where talent alone cannot win matches.
But we are playing in Nepal, and it is a slow turning wicket, where spinners can easily win matches.
Although batting is their key strength, they have good bowlers. They have a left arm chinaman with an awkward action, and they also have medium pacers like Burger, who has a knack of taking wickets.
The result
I would say 60-40 in favour of Nepal.
New players
New players have a good opportunity to show their talent, they are playing at home, and seniors are there to help them. But the coach would have to decide, if they do not perform well, they might get demotivated by the way the crowd responds to them. But if they perform, they will become better players.
At the end its match exposure that matters. That is exactly what we as cricketers are not getting. The domestic league has not happened for two years, and with ACC gone, we have less tournaments. This is something we need to look at urgently.
