Nepal will face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) A side today in their final game of the ACC’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup at P. Sara Oval in Colombo.
The match is scheduled to start at 10:15 AM Nepal time.
Unfortunately, Nepal Men have encountered defeats in their earlier matches against Pakistan A and India A by 4 wickets and 9 wickets respectively in Group B.
The United Arab Emirates is fielding their A side, providing valuable exposure to their young talents. On the other hand, Nepal is competing with their regular players in this tournament. Both teams are now out of the competition after their losses against India A and Pakistan A.
After an impressive 99 against Zimbabwe, the batting form of Kushal Bhurtel is a concern for Nepal. Playing in Asian conditions against the pace-attack of Pakistan A and India A has gone from bad to worst.#NepalCricket #KushalBhurtel #Nepal #Cricket #ACC pic.twitter.com/69iWT0HZf0
— cricnepal.com 🇳🇵 🦏 (@cricnepal) July 18, 2023
As per the sources, the team management are likely to have few changes in the playing XI. Aasif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki would be rested and Sundeep Jora and Arjun Saud would be called.
Batting has been a major concern, particularly at the top order. Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh have struggled to provide a solid start for the team. Bhurtel’s approach has been disappointing, playing too aggressively at the top, resulting in dismissals for 1(6) and 0(2) against Pakistan and India respectively. Similarly, Aasif Sheikh managed 12(12) and 7(15) in those two games.
In the middle order, Bhim Sharki is also finding it difficult to cope with the pace. He has managed only 0(4) against Pakistan and got out for 4(8) against India.
Rohit Paudel’s side haven’t crossed 200 runs in this tournament. They have only managed 179 and 167 runs in the last two matches after winning the toss and opting to bat first.
Sompal Kami provided a crucial contribution of 75(100) in the first match against Pakistan A, while Rohit Paudel (65) and Gulshan Jha (38) rescued from 5-37 to give the bowlers something to defend against India A.
