KATHMANDU: Questions have begun to emerge regarding Nepal’s performance amidst the continuous dominance of Oman. Is this the same team? The question appears justified. This is because, in the previous cycle of the ICC World Cup Cricket League-2, the team secured a place in the top three by winning 11 out of 12 matches. The Nepali team that delivered that “miracle” performance now appears to be under pressure to make a comeback. Even with the challenge of needing to secure wins in 12 out of 15 matches, the team looks unstable.

In this situation, Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel remains optimistic. He says, “The same players who played a role in winning 11 matches in the previous cycle are still in the team today. We have already endured that level of pressure. Therefore, the upcoming matches will be even more important”.

In the previous cycle, Nepal played eight of its final 12 matches at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. Taking advantage of the home ground, Nepal defeated not only league winners Scotland but also teams like Namibia, the UAE, and Papua New Guinea to finish third and secure a place in the ODI World Cup Qualifiers.

In the current cycle, however, Nepal has not been able to show such signs. The team is limited to seventh place with 16 points, having secured wins in only eight out of 23 matches. What is even more distressing is that Nepal has already played 10 matches on home soil this time. While Nepal delivered a satisfactory performance only against the UAE, who are ranked lower, they have failed to perform as expected against other teams.

Even the UAE, whom Nepal has defeated twice in the current series, has beaten Oman by 25 runs.

The worrying part is that Nepal has started to look helpless even against Oman, who is ranked below them in the ICC rankings. In the match held on April 29, Oman secured a wide 102-run victory via the DLS method. Now, in the next match on Tuesday, Oman will try to maintain that momentum, while Nepal will take to the field with the goal of avenging the previous defeat and collecting two crucial points.

“We haven’t exactly become used to it. But it is our nature to play under pressure. Therefore, we are hopeful that we will secure a win,” says Rohit.

Continuous dominance

After gaining One Day International (ODI) status on August 1, 2018, Nepal began its journey in League 2. However, despite obtaining ODI status, the first encounter with Oman was only possible on February 5, 2020. At that time, Oman had already established itself as a strong team.

In the first two matches held at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Oman showed its dominance by securing wins of 18 runs and eight wickets, respectively. Subsequently, Oman maintained its influence by defeating Nepal by five wickets even on their home ground, the Al Amerat Cricket Ground.

Dipendra Singh Airee after scoring a century against the UAE. Photo courtesy: CAN

Over time, the competition between these two teams became interesting. In the match held at Al Amerat on September 19, 2021, Nepal presented itself as a strong competitor by securing an impressive seven-wicket victory. However, in the meeting on June 9, 2022, Nepal was defeated by 13 runs. Following that, Nepal made an excellent comeback and established its dominance over Oman by winning two consecutive matches by seven wickets and 84 runs.

The current situation has started to show worrying signs again. In the match held at Maple Leaf North-West Ground in King City Ground on September 18, 2024, Oman secured a thrilling one-wicket win. Continuing that trend, in the latest encounter in Kirtipur after one and half year later, Oman not only avenged its old defeat by beating Nepal by 102 runs but also created further mental pressure for Nepal, which is under pressure to collect points in every match. Nepali team pacer Sompal Kami states that the main reason for this is the inability to play their “natural” game.

“The target set by Oman was chaseable. We planned not to give away wickets within 20 overs. In the attempt to save wickets, we couldn’t score runs. Had we played our natural game and rotated the strike, perhaps a win would have emerged,” he says.

At 17.1 overs, with Nepal struggling at 57 for 4, vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee anchored the innings with 60 runs off 62 balls, hitting seven fours and one six. However, his effort was not enough to take the team to victory.

Sompal’s statement seems relevant. Indeed, Oman’s recent performance hasn’t been that robust. Even the UAE, whom Nepal has defeated twice in the current series, has beaten Oman by 25 runs. The target of 306 runs set by Oman was not impossible for Nepal. Previously, on March 16, 2023, chasing a target of 310 runs set by the UAE, Nepal had secured a thrilling nine-run victory via the DLS method.

This time, while chasing such a large target in a rain-affected match, Nepal was limited to 155 runs while facing a revised target of 258 runs. Furthermore, in the attempt to steady the game, the team lost both openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh, along with middle-order captain Paudel and Basir Ahmad, within the initial 20 overs.

At 17.1 overs, with Nepal struggling at 57 for 4, vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee anchored the innings with 60 runs off 62 balls, hitting seven fours and one six. However, his effort was not enough to take the team to victory. With that, Oman, which sits in third place with 31 points from 26 matches in League 2, succeeded in securing its sixth win in the last nine matches against Nepal.

“Winning is very important in the game. We had many opportunities as well. If we could have done well in two or three overs, a win against Oman could have been achieved,” he says.

New plans, lackluster performance

Nepal’s openers and middle-order batters have not been able to find their rhythm as expected in this series. Although they were successful in securing a 37-run win in the first match against the UAE, the top order could not provide a strong start. Aasif Sheikh was out for just seven runs, while Kushal Bhurtel was limited to 24 runs.

The situation in the middle order did not appear much improved either. Bhim Sharki, who returned to the team after a long time, and Captain Rohit could not provide the necessary stability to the team. In the match against Oman, while Aasif made 19 and Bhim made 28 runs, Kushal was out for just one run. With Rohit limited to 10 runs, Basir Ahmad proved to be a consistent “flop”.

Amidst these weak performances, Dipendra saved the team’s honor by scoring half-centuries in both matches. It appears his performance alone saved Nepal’s batting lineup from a complete collapse.

Arjun Kumal during his debut match against the UAE. Photo courtesy: CAN

Following continuous disappointing results, Head Coach Stuart Law made four changes in the second match against the UAE. Arjun Kumal was included in place of Kushal, Binod Bhandari in place of Aasif, Nandan Yadav in place of Karan KC, and Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi in place of Basir.

Among the changes, Binod Bhandari made a strong comeback after three years and nine months by playing an excellent innings of 56 runs. However, debutant Arjun Kumal was limited to just 11 runs. In bowling, while Nandan led the team toward victory by taking two wickets, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi proved expensive, conceding 47 runs in 6 overs.

Despite changing the strategy in the last three matches, the entire burden of the team is being carried by Vice-captain Dipendra himself. Having scored 75 runs against the UAE, he contributed 60 runs against Oman. Dipendra, who struck a century against the UAE in another match, admits that other players are currently going through “ups and downs”.

“Other players are not scoring runs. Perhaps because I am a bit more focused, I am doing well. Earlier, I wasn’t scoring runs either,” he says.

Bhim Sharki, who returned to the team after a long time, and Captain Rohit could not provide the necessary stability to the team.

Now, Nepal will conclude this series by playing the final match against Oman on Tuesday. After that, another important series against Scotland and America is scheduled to be played at the same ground starting May 12.

The upcoming competition looks even more challenging for Nepal. America is at the top of the points table with 36 points from 24 matches, while Scotland, having played four more matches, is following closely with 34 points. Looking at current form, it is clear that both these teams will be even tougher competitors for Nepal than Oman and the UAE.

In such a situation, the final match against Oman will be decisive for Nepal, which has been facing pressure in recent games. If they can finish the series by winning this match, Nepal can enter the upcoming difficult competition with high morale.

The team’s key player, Dipendra, also says they should take to the field with a positive mindset. Although they couldn’t perform as expected in the initial matches, partnerships have been improving in recent games, which is an encouraging sign for the team.

“We couldn’t play well in the first two matches. Now the partnerships are getting better. If we can play by taking that positively, we can achieve a good result against Oman,” he said.