Nepal Needs Five Wins to Finish in Top Six of ICC Cricket World Cup League 2

Kathmandu — To secure a top-six finish in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, Nepal must win at least five of their upcoming eight matches across two series. Nepal currently sit in seventh place with 12 points from 20 matches.

To overtake Namibia (22 points) in fifth place and Canada (21 points) in sixth, five wins should be sufficient. However, catching fourth-placed Netherlands (28 points) would require winning all matches with strong margins.

The two series, running from April 25 to May 22 at TU Cricket Ground, will not be easy for Nepal. Analysts say Nepal’s recent ODI form has been poor, and the team is struggling just to maintain their ODI status. An inexperienced squad and inadequate preparation could affect results.

The first tri-series features Nepal, Oman, and the UAE from April 25 to May 5. Nepal will play the UAE on April 25 and May 1, and Oman on April 29 and May 5.

A second tri-series against the USA and Scotland follows from May 12 to May 22. Nepal will face Scotland on May 12 and May 17, and the USA on May 15 and May 22. All matches start at 9:30 AM.

Nepal squad: Rohit Paudel (captain), Dipendra Singh Airee (vice-captain), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, Arif Sheikh, Basir Ahamad, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Binod Bhandari, Nandan Yadav, Arjun Kumal, and Karan KC. Head coach is Stuart Law.

Nepal lost both matches to the UAE in November, and lost one of two matches to Oman in September 2024. They lost both matches to the USA in October-November 2024, but defeated Scotland in one of two matches last June.

Current League 2 standings: USA 1st (36 points), Scotland 2nd (34), Oman 3rd (29), Netherlands 4th (28), Namibia 5th (22), Canada 6th (21), Nepal 7th (12), UAE 8th (10).

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has removed Rohit Paudel as T20I captain, appointing Dipendra Singh Airee instead, citing the need to focus entirely on the World Cup League 2 campaign.