After a record-breaking win against Mongolia in the opening match of Asian Games Cricket, Nepal are set to face Maldives in the second on Sunday. Records flooded against Mongolia as Nepal posted 314 runs and registered a 273-run win after wrapping them up for 41.
This is the third time Nepal will be playing against Maldives in the Asian Games. They have faced off in both prior editions (2010 and 2014), with Nepal emerging victorious in both matches.
Interestingly, Maldives is set to play two matches on Sunday. In addition to their clash with Nepal, they will also be competing against Qatar in the T20 World Cup Asia sub-regional qualifier in Doha. Hence, Maldives will line up their second-string team against Nepal.
The Maldives also secured a convincing win in the first match. They defeated Mongolia by nine wickets (with 80 balls spare) after restricting them to 60 runs.
Nepal vs Maldives details:
Time: 6:45 AM (NST)
Venue: Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field
Live Broadcast: DD Sports (TV channel) or Sony Network
Live score: You can follow the live score at cricnepal.com
Head to Head
Nepal defeated Maldives by 75 runs in the 2010 Asian Games Cricket. After posting 129/9 in 20 overs, Nepal restricted them to 54.
In 2014, Nepal bowled out Maldives for 53 and chased the target in 14.2 overs, losing three wickets.
What to expect?
With Maldives lining up the second-string side, we can expect another one-sided game in Nepal’s favour. As Rohit said after Mongolia’s match they may bowl first (if they win the toss) and look to wrap the opposition as quickly as they can.
If Nepal gets to bat first, They have another good chance to notch up 230+ total on the board.
Weather
The entire day will be sunny. There is 10% of precipitation till 9:00 AM local time and no chance of rain till night. The average Humidity will be 63% with a wind of 14 km/h.
Probable XI
Nepal will probably continue with the winning side. However, Nepal may swap in Bibek Yadav in place of Gulshan Jha to give young Bibek some match time. Nepal even could rest either Sompal or Karan to play Pratish GC but that is unlikely to happen.
Probable XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Rohit Paudel, DS Airee, Sundeep Jora, Bibek Yadav/Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Avinash Bohara.
Nepal’s Squad for Asian Games 2023: Rohit Paudel (C), Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Jora, Binod Bhandari, Dipendra Singh Airee, Bibek Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Pratish GC, Avinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal.
