KATHMANDU: Nepal’s journey in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, which began under the pressure of being in seventh place, has now seen a boost in confidence.

By securing spectacular victories in five out of the seven recent matches played at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Nepal has climbed to the fifth position in the standings. The in-form Nepali team will take the field tomorrow, Friday, against United States of America in their final match, aiming for a pleasant conclusion to the home series.

The match will begin at 9:30 AM. Leg-spinner of the Nepali team, Sandeep Lamichhane, states that the ongoing series must be concluded with a victory. “This is our final home series. Everyone is performing well. Now, we want to maintain this momentum,” he says.

Sandeep Lamichhane. Photo: CAN

 In the League 2 points table featuring eight participating teams, USA sits at the top spot with 38 points from 27 matches. Scotland is also in second place with an equal 38 points from 32 matches. Oman is third with 31 points from 28 matches, Netherlands is fourth with 28 points from 24 matches, while Nepal occupies the fifth position with 22 points from 27 matches.

TU ground: Favorable for Nepal

The TU Cricket Ground has always proven to be ‘lucky’ for Nepal in the League 2 series. In the 2019 to 2023 League 2 cycle, Nepal played its final eight matches on this very ground. During that run, Nepal defeated the cycle’s champions, Scotland, in both matches.

Not only that, by securing a crucial victory against Namibia, Nepal had climbed to third place. Along with this, they successfully retained their ODI status until 2027 and directly secured a spot in the World Cup Qualifiers.

This time as well, Nepal appears to be in similarly excellent form. Having defeated third-placed Oman by 81 runs, Nepal has already registered an impressive 6-wicket victory against Scotland. Furthermore, Nepal also comfortably defeated table-toppers America by nine wickets. The pitch at TU is considered batting-friendly. The Nepali team’s opener, Kushal Bhurtel, states that even targets of 280 to 300 runs can be chased down on this pitch.

“If we get the chance to bat first, our target will be to reach up to 300 runs. If we can post that score, we can be largely reassured. Otherwise, we must possess the capability to chase down that many runs,” he says. In this League 2 cycle, Oman, UAE, and Scotland have already scored 300 runs at the TU ground. However, Nepal has not achieved that feat yet.

Nepal’s highest score on this ground was the 289 runs made against UAE on May 1 last year. Chasing a target of 290 runs, Nepal defeated UAE—in a rain-affected match—by 6 wickets under the DLS method. Since then, Nepal has scored 256 runs against Oman, while they have not received the opportunity to bat first in other matches.

Nepal’s performance against America on this ground has consistently been impressive. In the last three encounters, the American team has looked weak against the Nepali side. In the match held on February 8, 2020, Nepal defeated America by 35 runs. In another meeting four days later, Nepal secured a five-wicket victory. This time around as well, Nepal maintained its dominance by registering a nine-wicket win.

Nepal looks optimistic regarding its opening duo, Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh, alongside the recently debuted ‘one-down batter’ Ishan Pandey. Bhurtel, who returned to the team after three matches, played a magnificent unbeaten innings of 120 runs against America. Facing 118 balls, he hit 13 fours and four sixes, delivering the best performance of his career.

Kushal Bhurtel, who scored a century against America. Photo: CAN

In the same match, Aasif also made a crucial contribution of 58 runs. The two laid the foundation for the victory by putting up a massive 145-run partnership for the first wicket. The remaining work was completed by Ishan, who made his ‘debut’ in that very match. He scored an unbeaten 20 runs off 30 balls, including one four, guiding the team to an easy victory.

In the second match against Scotland, Nepal secured an impressive 6-wicket win. Though Bhurtel and Aasif could not make notable contributions, Ishan batted responsibly once again, playing a brilliant innings of 55 runs off 61 balls with the help of five fours and two sixes.

America’s head coach, Pubudu Dassanayake, states that the American players need to be cautious of Kushal Bhurtel. “Bhurtel is an extremely talented player. He was not in the team for three matches, but he returned and is performing well. His batting style is dangerous. Once he gets set, he becomes a match-winner,” he says.

 USA breaks the drought

Under League 2, which features eight nations, USA reclaimed the top spot on Wednesday by defeating title-contenders Scotland by 6 wickets. With this victory, America successfully brought an end to its long winless streak at the TU Cricket Ground.

America had played four matches on this ground during the 2019 to 2023 cycle. However, they suffered defeats in all those matches against Oman and Nepal. Due to those four defeats, America was limited to 35 points and was forced to conclude the previous League 2 cycle in fifth place. Consequently, they missed the opportunity to qualify directly for the World Cup Qualifiers.

This time around as well, the TU ground initially turned out to be unfortunate for America. The American team, which was undefeated in six consecutive matches, aimed to return home after ensuring the title. However, the ground in Kirtipur did not let their plans materialize easily.

Nepali players after taking a wicket against Scotland. Photo: CAN

 In the first rain-affected match, America was defeated by Scotland by two runs under the DLS method. Following that, Nepal registered an impressive nine-wicket victory over America. With this loss, America had even lost the top spot of the table. However, by making a comeback against Scotland on Wednesday, they successfully reclaimed the top position.

American all-rounder Saurabh Netravalkar, who was declared the ‘Player of the Match’ against Scotland, admits that giving away too many runs to the opposition in the previous two matches was the main reason for their defeats. “The opposing teams outplayed us thoroughly. Nepal played excellent cricket. The first match against Scotland was highly competitive, but we conceded too many runs in the first innings. We failed to execute our plans effectively,” he says.