Kathmandu, July 21: Aiming for a top-four finish in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2, Nepal will launch their penultimate triangular series of the campaign against hosts the Netherlands and Namibia in Utrecht on Tuesday.
Currently fifth in the standings, Nepal open their tour against Namibia, seeking inspiration from a dramatic domestic resurgence two months ago. A dominant home stretch at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur saw the national team win six of their eight encounters against Oman, the UAE, the United States, and Scotland. The performance propelled them from seventh to fifth place, leaving them with 28 points from 28 fixtures.
Nepal have two away series remaining—the upcoming tour in the Netherlands and a final leg in Oman. These final eight matches will largely determine the country’s prospects of qualifying for the global ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. The immediate challenge for the team will be emulating their formidable domestic form in unfamiliar European conditions.
Prior to the team’s departure, skipper Rohit Paudel emphasised the gravity of the fixtures for preserving Nepal’s One-Day International (ODI) status and advancing to the qualifiers. “Our ultimate goal is to play in the ODI World Cup, and our approach reflects that ambition,” Paudel stated.
To acclimatise to the European climate, Nepal played two 50-over warm-up matches against Jersey, winning both. The tourists defended 251 runs to secure an 81-run victory in the first fixture, and clinched the second by seven runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method whilst chasing a target of 283.
The squad enters the series in robust individual form. Opening batter Kushal Bhurtel bounced back from a recent omission to score 202 runs in his last five ODIs, alongside a century in the warm-ups. Debutant Ishan Pandey has provided crucial top-order balance, while vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee has amassed 384 runs and taken 11 wickets in his last eight appearances. Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane anchors the bowling attack with 19 wickets in his last eight matches, extending a remarkably consistent streak of taking at least one wicket in 13 consecutive matches since June 2025.
Nepal currently sit between their two upcoming opponents in the League 2 table. The Netherlands occupy third place with 32 points, while Namibia sit seventh with 22 points.
Following Tuesday’s opener against Namibia, Nepal will face the Netherlands on 23 July, before playing the reverse fixtures against Namibia on 27 July and the hosts on 29 July.
TRN Online
