The Nepalese U19 team are scheduled to play against Pakistan U19 in the second match of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2024. After a defeat against New Zealand in the first match, Nepal will look to upset Pakistan who have presented themselves as one of the strong contenders of the tournament. This will be the fourth encounter between Nepal and Pakistan in the Youth World Cup.
Nepal U19 vs Pakistan U19 details:
Date: January 24 (Wednesday)
Venue: Buffalo Park, East London, South Africa
Time: 1:45 PM (NST)
Live coverage: ICC.tv
Live score: You can cover the live score at cricnepal.com
Head to Head in World Cup:
Nepal – 1, Pakistan – 1, No Result – 1
Nepal and Pakistan have met three times in the U19 World Cup. Their first meeting in 2000 was spoiled by rain as the match was abandoned without a single ball being bowled.
In 2002, Nepal registered a 30-run win against Pakistan U19 led by Salman Butt with Azhar Ali and Umar Gul in the squad. Bardan Chalise was POTM for Nepal in that match.
Nepal suffered a 122-run loss in 2016. The Nepalese team was bowled out for 136 runs whilst chasing 259 runs.
What to expect?
Pakistan have a solid bowling attack and can trouble Nepalese batters. Nepal is struggling against pace bowling and Pakistan consists of decent pacers. Hence, won’t be surprising if Pakistan wrap up Nepal for an average total.
During the Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan wrapped up Nepal for 152. They were brilliant in the previous match against Afghanistan as well, bundling them out for just 103.
In case Nepal cope with the pacers in early overs, they can put the Pakistan team under huge pressure as they play spin well. The thing is top order needs to step up and play pacers genuinely.
Results of the first match:
Nepal faced a 64-run against the Kiwis in the opening match. They managed only 238 runs after conceding 302 runs in the first innings. Several catches missed, clumsy fielding in the deep and poor death bowling were the main reason for Nepal’s loss in the first match.
Arjun Kumal’s terrific inning and the batting of the tailenders were the only positive aspects of the first match for Nepal.
Meanwhile, Pakistan bagged a commanding 181-run triumph against Afghanistan. They scored 284 runs and bundled out the opposition for a mere 103 runs.
Weather report:
As per Google’s weather report, there is a very minimal chance of the match being interrupted due to rain. The average temperature will be 24°C. The humidity is around 67% and the wind flow of 29km/h.
Players to watch from PAK U19:
Mohammad Zeeshan – Lanky fast bowler who can trouble Nepalese top order early on.
Shahzaib Khan – Left-handed opener who has been in good touch lately. Can be a headache for the Nepalese team.
Squads:
Nepal’s squad: Dev Khanal (c), Dipesh Kandel, Gulshan Jha, Durgesh Gupta, Subash Bhandari, Aakash Tripathi, Arjun Kumal, Deepak Bohara, Uttam Thapa Magar (wk), Dipak Dumre, Aakash Chand, Bishal KC, Tilak Raj Bhandari, Bipin Rawal (wk), Dipak Bohara
Pakistan’s squad: Saad Baig (captain and wicketkeeper), Ali Asfand (vice-captain), Ali Raza, Ahmad Hassan, Amir Hassan, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haroon Arshad, Khubaib Khalil, Mohammad Zeeshan, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Muhammad Riazullah and Ubaid Shah.
