Sports
WCLC matches against UAE : Nepal name prelim squad
Nepal announced a 20-member squad for the ICC World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) seventh round matches against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) slated for December 6 and 8 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.Nepal announced a 20-member squad for the ICC World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) seventh round matches against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) slated for December 6 and 8 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
A selection committee headed by ICC representative Aminul Islam, Nepal head coach Jagat Tamatta and skipper Paras Khadka will announce the final 14-member squad plus a four reserve players in due course. Mehboob Alam and Saurabh Khanal withdrew due to injuries.
The team includes Basant Regmi, Gyanendra Malla, Sharad Vesawkar, Shakti Gauchan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Arif Sheikh, Sompal Kami, Siddhant Lohani, Anil Kumar Sah, Binod Bhandari, Dilip Nath, Dipendra Singh Airee, Hasim Ansari, Jitendra Mukhiya, Karan KC, Bhurtel, Sagar Pun, Lalit Bhandari and Sushil Kandel.
With only top four teaKushal ms in the eight-team tournament assured of places in the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers, Nepal were already out of the race after their sixth round results against the hosts Hong Kong in October. Nepal lost one game and another was washed out meaning they were placed in seventh with nine points. Even if Nepal win both the final round matches against the UAE, they cannot catch Hong Kong, who currently occupy the fourth place with a round to go.
The Netherlands and Papua New Guinea have already earned tickets to the World Cup Qualifiers set for next year in Zimbabwe. Two more spots are still up for the grabs from the final round matches.
Irrespective of the results in Abu Dhabi, relegated Nepal will now play in World Cricket League (WLC) Division 2 in Namibia early next year where they need to make it to the final for a place in the Qualifiers. Canada, Oman, Nepal, Namibia and the UAE along with another relegated team from the WCLC will make the six-team Division 2.
Nepal had finished fourth in the Division 2 in Namibia two years ago but the International Cricket Council (ICC) had handed them a chance to compete in the WCLC Division 1 tournament after Ireland and Afghanistan joined the 10 full members in the ranking-based qualification system for the 2019 World Cup.