The Nepali U-19 team on Friday returned from Malaysia following their second-place finish in the ACC U-19 Premier with more challenge awaiting them in near future.

Nepal were once again confined to runners-up place after Afghanistan—who defeated them by 10 wickets—got the better of them on points in the round robin league tournament. Up next for Nepal is the ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifiers slated for October 14-23 in Malaysia and the current tournament was a good reality check for them.

From the five-team World Cup Qualifiers, only the winner will make it to the 2016 U-19 World Cup and Nepal will have to go through an intense battle that will include Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Uganda and United States of America. Nepal coach Jagat Tamatta said lessons were learnt from the U-19 Premier and they have to work a lot to face the new challenge.

“Our overall performance was good in Malaysia where we found our weak points. We once again failed to overcome an Afghanistan hurdle in our bid for title but it was good experience ahead of the Qualifiers,” said Tamatta at the Tribhuvan International Airport. “The World Cup Qualifiers is a big challenge, not only for us but also for Nepali cricket. We have one month and we need to work really hard to make sure that we qualify,” the coach said adding the defeat to Afghanistan was a good reality check for him and his boys.

“Afghanistan have moved ahead because of their youth programmes. We owe to our boys’ natural talent for finishing second but it will not be enough in the Qualifiers. If we discover few talents it will be better and we have to send our boys for abroad training to give them some real exposure,” added Tamatta.

Skipper Raju Rijal said that Nepal need to cash in on the familiarity with Malaysian pitches. “Playing in Malaysia will be the biggest asset for us ahead of the Qualifiers,” said Rijal. “We now have to focus on the Qualifiers and make improvements to qualify for the World Cup. Match experience is a big thing and that is what we need. The boys are very positive after the ACC U-19 Premier campaign,” he added.

“Our batsmen need maximum exposure against some of the tough teams. Batsmen need to bat against quality bowlers and the same should be case with the bowlers,” said Rijal. Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Acting General Secretary Uttam Karmacharya said the cricket governing body is committed to prepare the boys for the Qualifiers.

“We will have a round of discussion with the coach (Tamatta) regarding the plans for the Qualifiers. We will most probably send the team to India as part of our preparation for the Qualifiers,” said Karmacharya.