Kathmandu, October 5
Nepal’s cricket team now faces another major challenge after winning the ACC Premier Cup — performing strongly in the final series of the ICC World Cup League 2 to preserve its ODI status.
Nepal’s route to directly qualifying for the World Cup Qualifier has become extremely difficult. Although a mathematical possibility remains, Nepal would need an unlikely sequence of results to finish among the top four in League 2 and secure direct qualification.
Even if Nepal fails to finish in the top four, it still has a chance to reach the World Cup Qualifier through the playoff route. For now, however, Nepal’s immediate priority will be to secure its ODI status.
The upcoming series in Oman will therefore be crucial in determining whether Nepal can remain an ODI team. It will also have a major bearing on whether Nepal can keep its hopes of reaching the World Cup Qualifier alive.
Nepal, Oman and Canada will compete in the final League 2 series in Oman, making it important for all three teams. For Nepal, however, the series carries much greater significance.
Nepal currently has 24 points from 32 matches and sits seventh in the League 2 standings. While finishing in the top four has become highly complicated, Nepal still has an important target within reach — retaining its ODI status.
“The team’s momentum has changed. Our goal will be to save our ODI status and take the team to the World Cup Qualifier,” captain Sandeep Lamichhane has said.
That makes the Oman series much more than an ordinary bilateral series for Nepal. If Nepal fails to finish among the top six by the end of League 2, it could finish seventh or eighth and face the serious possibility of losing its ODI status.
The ICC has not yet issued a final and explicit provision on ODI status in this particular context. But under the current scenario, finishing among the top six appears to be the safest position for Nepal, according to the Cricket Association of Nepal.
Points table and the equation
The points table shows the scale of Nepal’s challenge.
Scotland leads the standings with 45 points from 36 matches and has completed all its games. The United States is second with 43 points from 32 matches, while the Netherlands is third with 38 points from 32 matches. All three are assured of finishing in the top three.
Oman is fourth with 31 points from 28 matches. Namibia is fifth with 29 points from 33 matches, while Canada is sixth with 25 points from 32 matches.
Nepal is seventh with 24 points, while the UAE is eighth with 19 points from 29 matches.
Nepal is therefore only one point behind Canada. But closing that one-point gap alone will not be enough. The remaining matches, results involving other teams and the final points-table equation will all have to work in Nepal’s favour.
The United States is currently hosting a series involving the US, Namibia and the UAE. Those results will make the equation clearer by the time Nepal, Oman and Canada take the field in Oman.
The final League 2 series will then be played between the UAE, Netherlands and Oman. Nepal will therefore have a clearer picture of its position before it begins its Oman campaign.
If Nepal wins three or all four of its matches against Oman and Canada, it will reach between 30 and 32 points. That would at least take Nepal past Canada. If Namibia fails to move ahead significantly in its remaining matches, Nepal could also overtake Namibia.
Even if Namibia remains ahead of Nepal, the latter would still have a chance of finishing sixth depending on the final results.
If Nepal beats Canada in both matches but loses both games against Oman, it would finish with 28 points. If Nepal beats Canada twice and Oman also beats Canada at least once, Canada would remain behind Nepal.
Therefore, winning both matches against Canada and reaching at least 28 points appears to be one of the safest routes for Nepal to retain its ODI status.
The most straightforward scenario for Nepal would be to win all four matches in the upcoming series. If Nepal fails to beat either Canada or Oman, its chances of finishing in the top six will become considerably more dependent on results elsewhere.
If Nepal reaches 28 or 30 points and the UAE wins all its remaining matches, Namibia would still not necessarily move beyond the relevant points threshold, leaving Nepal in contention for a top-six finish.
If Nepal finishes on 26 or 28 points, however, it will have to rely more heavily on results involving other teams.
New captain, same challenge
Nepal suffered defeats in all four matches during its previous League 2 series in the Netherlands. The team has since undergone changes, including a change in captain.
Sandeep Lamichhane replaced Rohit Paudel as captain. Under Lamichhane, Nepal has since won the ACC Premier Cup.
Nepal’s form in League 2, however, has not been strong. The challenge now is to improve its performance in the competition and collect crucial points.
The squad had only recently returned from Japan after participating in the Asian Games in T20 cricket, following its Premier Cup triumph. Most of the players from the Premier Cup-winning squad remain in the team for the Oman series, giving the side confidence and momentum.
“The team’s momentum has changed. Our goal will be to save our ODI status and take the team to the World Cup Qualifier,” Lamichhane said.
Head coach Stuart Law also understands the importance of the series. For him, the focus is not simply on talking about winning but on putting the right process and plan into practice.
“It is easy to say we will win, but we also need to know the process required to do that and perform accordingly,” Law said.
The squad
Nepal has made only limited changes to the squad that won the ACC Premier Cup, adding two players.
Nandan Yadav has returned to the squad in place of Hemant Dhami, while left-arm spinner Shahab Alam has also been included.
Sompal Kami, Kushal Bhurtel and Bhim Sharki are not part of the squad for the series. They were also absent from Nepal’s Premier Cup campaign.
Asif Sheikh and Arjun Kumal are expected to continue as the opening pair. Ishan Pandey, Dev Khanal and Rohit Paudel provide options in the top order, while Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha, Sandeep Jora and Basir Ahmed are among the middle-order options.
In the lower order, Nepal has Karan KC and Nandan Yadav, along with captain Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla and Shahab Alam.
Nepal has more options in spin than pace bowling. Karan and Nandan are the main pace options, with Gulshan also capable of contributing as a part-time seamer.
In spin, Nepal has captain Lamichhane, Lalit, Shahab, Sher and Basir, while Dipendra and Rohit can also provide additional options.
It remains difficult to predict the final playing XI. Nepal could opt for a combination featuring Asif, Arjun, Ishan, Rohit, Dipendra, Basir, Gulshan, Karan, Nandan, Lalit and Lamichhane.
For Nepal, the equation is now straightforward in principle, even if difficult in practice — win matches, collect points and stay inside the top six.
