KATHMANDU: Nepal, aiming to directly qualify for the World Cup Qualifier through the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, finds itself under severe pressure.

Nepal’s campaign has faced significant hurdles following back-to-back defeats in the ongoing tri-series held at the Sportpark Marschalkerweerd ground in Utrecht, Netherlands. Nepal suffered an eight-wicket defeat against Namibia in the opening match and a six-wicket loss to the host nation, the Netherlands, in the second match.

Following these consecutive losses, Nepal is set to take the field once again against Namibia on Monday. To remain in the race for the World Cup Qualifier, this match will be nothing short of a “do-or-die” encounter for Nepal. Consequently, the team faces mounting pressure to register a victory and stage a comeback in the series, according to Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel.

“There is naturally pressure after losing two games. On the other hand, we failed to convert small partnerships into big ones. However, we still have the capability to perform better,” he said following the loss to the Netherlands.

Nepal loses momentum

Until a few weeks ago, the Nepali team was in top form. During the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 series held at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Nepal won six out of eight matches against Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Scotland, and the United States, smoothing its path toward the World Cup Qualifier.

Immediately after, Nepal remained undefeated to win the Asian Games Qualifier. Before departing for the Netherlands, the team swept a two-match One Day International (ODI) series against Jersey, traveling to Europe with high morale.

However, upon reaching the Netherlands, Nepal’s momentum sharply declined. In the ongoing League 2 series in Utrecht, Nepal’s batting unit has performed disappointingly. In both 50-over matches, the team failed to cross the 160-run mark, resulting in an eight-wicket loss to Namibia and a six-wicket defeat to hosts Netherlands.

Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel batting against the Netherlands

Following the repeated setbacks, Captain Rohit Paudel admitted that the batting failure was the main reason behind the losses.

“Despite not having a big score on the board, the bowlers fought hard. But as a batting unit, we failed completely,” he said.

Nepal’s primary concern has been the performance of its top order. Opener Kushal Bhurtel, who was in stellar form after scoring two centuries in the Asian Games Qualifier, has failed to make an impact in this series. Other top-order batters, including opener Aasif Sheikh, one-down batter Ishan Pandey, and Captain Rohit himself, have failed to score runs as expected.

Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee, who anchored the middle order with outstanding performances during the home series, has also been unable to contribute significantly with the bat. With both the top and middle orders failing to take responsibility, Nepal was restricted to identical totals of 157 runs in both matches, directly impacting the results.

To turn things around, Nepal has no alternative but for these batters to regain their form.

Namibia presents a tough challenge

Nepal’s historical record against Namibia is not encouraging. The two teams first met in an ODI under League 2 on July 11, 2022, in Scotland. Chasing a target of 220 runs, Nepal was bowled out for 180 runs in 46.5 overs, suffering a 40-run defeat.

Key players from that match—Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Rohit Kumar Paudel, Dipendra Singh Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, and Sandeep Lamichhane—remain mainstays of the current Nepali squad. Yet, despite these experienced players remaining continuously in the team, Nepal’s performance against Namibia has seen little improvement.

Since their first encounter, the two sides have met in eight ODIs. Out of those, one match ended with no result, while Nepal won only two matches and lost five. This indicates that over the past four years, Namibia has maintained a clear upper hand over Nepal.

Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee

Nepal’s two victories against Namibia came during the League 2 series held at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on February 14 and February 18, 2023. At that time, facing immense pressure to win to retain its ODI status, Nepal registered an unprecedented run by winning 11 out of 12 matches, defeating Namibia by three wickets in the first match and four wickets in the second.

Interestingly, those two losses dealt a major blow to Namibia as well. At the end of that cycle, Namibia finished in fourth place with 39 points, trailing Nepal by a single point.

In the current 2024–2027 League 2 cycle, both teams stand tied at 24 points each after playing 30 matches. However, Namibia sits below Nepal on the points table due to an inferior net run rate.

Ahead of both teams is Oman with 31 points. Similarly, Canada has 24 points from 28 matches, while the UAE, having played six fewer matches than Nepal, has 14 points on its tally.

Under these circumstances, Monday’s clash carries immense significance for both teams, not only in terms of standings on the points table but also psychologically.

Namibia is not in peak form either. Before arriving in the Netherlands, Namibia competed against host nation Scotland and Oman in a League 2 series held in Scotland. That series proved disappointing for Namibia.

Opener Aarif Sheikh practicing in the nets.

After suffering a three-wicket defeat to Oman with five balls remaining, Namibia’s match against Scotland was rained out without a result, followed by a one-sided seven-wicket defeat in another match. Consequently, its bid to climb into the top four proved unsuccessful.

In the ongoing series in the Netherlands, Namibia has not delivered notable performances apart from taking advantage of Nepal’s weak batting to secure a single win. On Saturday, Namibia suffered a heavy 58-run defeat against the host nation, the Netherlands.

The League 2 competition is equally critical for Namibia. According to International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations, the top four teams in League 2 will secure spots in the World Cup Qualifier.

Namibia, which will co-host the next World Cup alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe, does not automatically qualify as a host nation. Therefore, its path to the World Cup also depends entirely on the qualifying tournament.

Staying within the top four in League 2 is mandatory, placing equal pressure on Namibia. Having failed to achieve expected results on the points table, its World Cup journey remains uncertain. Thus, the match against Nepal is viewed as a key opportunity for Namibia to stay alive in the race for the top four.

For these reasons, Monday’s encounter between Nepal and Namibia has reached a “do-or-die” situation for both sides. To keep the slim hope of directly qualifying for the World Cup Qualifier alive following consecutive disappointing results, neither team has any option but to win.