Nepal, Scotland, and Namibia’s last Tri-series under CWC League 2 concluded on Tuesday after a thrilling encounter between Nepal and Scotland at TU Cricket Ground in the presence of a bumper crowd. The home side were superb throughout the series, winning the toss in all four matches, deciding to bowl first and winning the nail-biter on all four occasions.
Scotland, on the other hand, were crowned the champions of CWC League 2 with three matches spare after beating Namibia in the first match. Meanwhile, the Namibian side wrapped up a Nepal tour after seven years without any win.
Win in all the matches saw Nepal alive for the third position in the table, which leads a direct spot in the world cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe. Currently, Namibia are in the third spot with 37 points from 34 points. UAE and Nepal, the other two teams eyeing that spot, have 27 and 26 points from 26 and 28 matches respectively.
Cricnepal’s team picked the best XI of the recently concluded series. The team includes Four Nepali, Four Namibian and Three Scottish players:
1. Lo-handre Louwrens (Namibia)
Lo-handre Louwrens had a standout tour of Nepal. The opener scored 152 runs from 4 matches notching up two half-centuries, both coming up against Scotland. Namibia’s Assistant Coach, Albie Morkel, cited his haul as the positive to take from the Nepal tour.
2. George Munsey (Scotland)
Despite playing only two matches in the series, Munsey is the second opener in our dream xi. The powerful hitter scored a quickfire ton against Namibia and hammered a brisk half-century against Nepal to assemble 163 runs from just a couple of matches. The southpaw smacked 21 fours and nine sixes.
3. Michael van Lingen (Namibia)
Van Lingen started a tour with a massive century against Nepal. He scored 133 runs, his career-best score and second consecutive ton against Nepal. The 25-year-old scored 159 runs from three matches and takes a number three spot.
4. Rohit Paudel (Nepal) (C)
Rohit Paudel, Nepal’s skipper, leads the ideal XI. Paudel, continuing his good run from the Nepal T20 league, scored the most runs (212) in the series. Playing a vital knock of 72 in the first match, He completed 1000 ODI runs and became the first Nepali batter to do so. The 20 years old scored 95* against Scotland in the final match of the series to rescue his side from the jaws of defeat after being 61/5 while chasing a target of 213.
5. Kushal Malla (Nepal)
Kushal Malla played a crucial role in Nepal’s clean sweep. The young allrounder scored 166 runs and also picked up four wickets from four matches. He scored one each fifty against Scotland and Namibia and assisted his side with quick runs in an intense chase. The 18 years old smacked nine sixes throughout the series.
6. Zane Green (Namibia) (WK)
Zane Green undoubtedly was the consistent batter for Namibia in the series. Batting at no. Six in all four matches, Green managed to pile up 159 runs with a healthy average of 53. He crossed double-digit scores in all matches and hammered an unbeaten 75 runs against Nepal.
7. Michael Leask (Scotland)
Michael Leask had a fantastic tour of Nepal, scoring 136 runs and bagging nine wickets. The explosive batter down the order scored his maiden ODI ton against Nepal and also reached the milestone of 1000 ODI runs. The 32-year-old off-break bowler picked up a wicket in each of the matches, with the best performance (4/24) coming against Namibia.
8. Karan KC (Nepal)
Despite a bit higher economy rate, Karan Kc picked up nine wickets in the series. He became the first Nepali bowler to grab three fifers in ODI, picking up a five-wicket haul against Namibia. The speedster also contributed crucial 20* and 31* in two matches when he got the opportunity to bat.
9. Ruben Trumpelmann (Namibia)
Trumpelmann, racking up 11 wickets, became the highest wicket-taking pacer of the series. The left-arm pacer improved his career-best figure grabbing 5/30 against Scotland in the last match. He also contributed 51 runs from the bat. The 25 years old pairs with Karan Kc in the fast bowling department in our finest 11.
10. Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal)
Coming to the field after nearly six months, Lamichhane proved how important he is to Nepal’s bowling lineup. The leggie was the one to break partnerships and yield a wicket in the crisis period. He picked up three wickets each in the first three matches and grabbed four in the final match to bag 13 wickets in the series, which is the joint-highest.
11. Mark Watt (Scotland)
Quite similar to Lamichhane, Mark Watt also picked up four wickets in one match and three each in the other three matches. Eventually, the Left arm Orthodox bowler also pocketed 13 wickets, equal to Nepal’s spinning sensation. The no. ten batter also assisted 38 runs for his side. Watt has the second-best economy rate in the entire CWC League 2.
Final XI:
- Lo-handre Louwrens (Right handed opener)
- George Munsey (Left handed opener)
- Michael van Lingen (Top order batter)
- Rohit Paudel (Anchorer/ Middle order batter)
- Kushal Malla (Explosive middle-order batter/ Left-arm Orthodox bowler)
- Zane Green (lower middle-order batter/ WK)
- Michael Leask (Finisher/ Off break bowler)
- Karan KC (Right-arm pacer)
- Ruben Trumpelmann (Left-arm pacer)
- Sandeep Lamichhane (Legbreak Googly)
- Mark Watt (Slow Left arm Orthodox)
