With international cricket action taking center stage in Kathmandu, cricket fever has gripped the country.
Nepal hosted the recently concluded Nepal vs Canada one-day international cricket series, the first international tournament in 2024.
Everyone’s focus was on Nepal’s performance in the three match series. Home fans had high expectations and looked forward to a strong performance from the team.
The series against Canada was a good opportunity for Head Coach Monty Desai to try out young talented players waiting in the wings.
Coach Desai made the right move by resting some of the starters and bringing in new players to the team.
The series was completely dominated by Nepal as they whitewashed the visitors winning all three matches much to the delight of partisan fans .
The hosts put together a winning performance. As a matter of fact, solid batting and bowling, coupled with collective effort and individual brilliance sealed the series for them.
Cricket aficionados across the country have their plates full as they are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming bilateral ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2, followed by the T20I Triangular series in Kathmandu.
Unquestionably, Nepal has the home ground advantage as they tend to perform much better at home than away.
This is best evidenced by the incredible Nepal turnaround from the brink of elimination to qualify for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe last year.
Playing a host of crucial must win matches at home, they turned up trumps in a spectacular fashion. Also they successfully rode the momentum to qualify for the Asia Cup for the first time held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The senior national team is back in action after the 2023 Asia Cup. Like last year they have a busy schedule in 2024 as well.
The World Cup T20 tournament taking place in the United States and the West Indies starting June 2024 is by far the most important and biggest tournament for Team Nepal.
Prior to the World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 starting from 15th February to 24 in Kathmandu also holds tremendous significance.
Familiar foes Nepal, Namibia and the Netherlands will play each other twice in the tri-nation series which is expected to be highly competitive and a close affair.
Additionally, like Nepal, the Netherlands and Namibia have also qualified for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The Netherlands played in the 2023 ICC World Cup in India and had a decent outing.
As per reports, they will be without a handful of key players for the Nepal tour. Some of them are carrying injuries, while others have commitments elsewhere.
Undoubtedly, once again a big test awaits Nepal. In both the Netherlands and Namibia, they face fairly tough opponents.
The three teams have faced off against each other on numerous occasions. They have a good understanding of one another’s weaknesses and strengths.
The point then is simple-the team that showcases cohesion, performs consistently with the ball and bat will be the winners.
Given the recent international performance of the Dutch, it’s fair to say that they hold a slight edge over Nepal and Namibia.
That being said, it does not make sense to write off both Nepal and Namibia. Long as they live up to their potential, anything is possible. In my opinion the competition is wide open, evenly poised and up for grabs.
Like the Netherlands and Namibia,Nepal is harboring dreams of becoming a Test playing country.
Henceforth, every international tournament Nepal plays is important. They have to prove themselves consistently competitive at the highest level of cricket to make a statement.
The tri-nation series provides Nepal yet another chance to showcase the cricketing world what they are capable of.
The key is giving continuity to the momentum. Also they need to get its act together and stick to the basics, be it the batting or the bowling.
Team Nepal must be committed to playing at its best and rise to the occasion .The batting unit has to be more consistent to challenge the oppositions.One thing is clear: they cannot afford to botch the opportunity.
