The Cricket Association of Nepal unveiled Nepal’s squad for World Cup Qualifier on Sunday. Regular captain Rohit Paudel will lead the 16-man squad. An additional player will accompany Nepal on their tour as a backup for a demanding schedule and the potential risk of injuries.
All 14 players who were in the squad that clinched the ACC Premier Cup title are in the squad, whereas Arjun Saud and Kishore Mahato have made their way back into the team. Meanwhile, Surya Tamang, Dev Khanal, Sundeep Jora, Mousam Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee and Avinash Bohara are the six players who have been excluded from the 22-man preliminary squad.
Nepal will fly to South Africa after a couple of days for the final preparation for World Cup Qualifier. Monty Desai’s boys will play warm-up matches against Scotland and Netherlands there.
Photo by: Anshuman Akash / Creimas / Asian Cricket Council
After a week-long session in South Africa, Nepal will fly to Zimbabwe and play a warm-up match against UAE and Oman before the main event.
The tournament is scheduled to take place between June 18th and July 9th. The top three teams from both groups will advance to the Super Six stage. In the Super Six, those teams will face each other, and the two teams with the highest rankings will proceed to the final. Both finalists will secure their spots in the Cricket World Cup 2023. ICC has already revealed the fixtures for the tournament.
Nepal is placed in Group A alongside West Indies, USA, Netherlands and Zimbabwe. Whereas Group B consists of Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Oman and UAE.
West Indies, Netherlands, Ireland, Oman, USA and Scotland have already made official announcements regarding their respective squads for the tournament.
Nepal’s squad: Rohit Paudel (C), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Gyanendra Malla, Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Bhim Sarki, Pratish GC, Lalit Rabanshi, Arjun Saud, Kishore Mahato
Nepal’s Fixture:
Nepal vs Zimbabwe – June 18
Nepal vs USA – June 20
Nepal vs West Indies- June 22
Nepal vs Netherlands – June 24
