The men’s national cricket team of Nepal wrapped up the short tour of Canada on a disappointing note with a humiliating defeat.
Nepal went into the two unofficial One Day Internationals(ODI) against a less experienced Canada as the favorites.
They had the upper hand in every department of the game, based on statistics, and they were projected to win the series.
After convincingly winning two friendly matches(50 over and Twenty20) against an unheralded Toronto side Nepal’s win probability went up further.
Much to the disappointment, the first ODI was washed out without a single ball bowled due to inclement weather. As a result, the visitors lost valuable playing time.
Contrary to expectations, host Canada stunned the heavily favoured opponent winning the second ODI comfortably by 83 runs at the close of play.
Batting first, Canada managed a competitive total of 188 in 50 overs. A defiant last-wicket partnership between Shreyas Movva (50 not out) and Ammar Khalid (30 not out) made a big difference.
The pair bravely batted full 50 overs to take the score from 118 for 9 to 188 for 9 much to the frustration of the visiting side who were left scratching their heads.
Skipper Sandeep Lamichhane’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss paid off as they made the breakthrough in the very first over.
The bowling attack with a combination of spin and pace, coupled with tight fielding pinned down the Canadian batsmen till the 38 overs. It looked as though the host would end up with a paltry score before the last pair’s heroic act.
With three and two wickets captain Lamichhane and Dipendra Singh Airee were pick of the bowlers respectively.
The bowlers were up to the task for the most part but fell short. Their inability to mop up the innings raised a few eyebrows. Undoubtedly there is still plenty of room for improvement in the bowling department.
Chasing a modest total, Nepal made a mess of batting and could only manage a meagre 105 in 39.2 overs. Their inability to carry the bat through 50 overs was a shocker.
Overall, it was a miserable, sloppy and unconvincing batting performance. The top-order batsmen virtually fell flat.
They lacked composure, confidence, and commitment and were guilty of throwing away wickets to
rash shots.
The batting was rife with an unforced errors, technical shortcomings and inconsistency Kushal Bhurtel(1), Pawan Sarraf(14), Rohit Paudel(6) Dipendra S Airee(0), Aarif Sheikh(0) and Dev Khanal(26) performance speaks for itself.
The batting frailty and inconsistency continue to be a major concern. It does not bode well, and there is an urgency to improve the batting performance ahead of the Scotland challenge.
There is no excuse for the batting failure. I hate to say it, but it is obvious that batters have not stepped up and failed to make the most of the opportunity.
They need to improve footwork, stay focused on the basics of effective and sound batting techniques and learn from their mistakes.
Furthermore, they will have to build self-confidence and put themselves in a position to beat the pre-performance jitters.
There will be no end to setbacks, disappointments and frustrations for Nepal if the batting performance remains unchanged. A tangible improvement in batting is imperative.
