Kathmandu, February 8
The Nepali national cricket team is leaving for Oman today to play in the ICC T20 World Cup Global Qualifier ‘A’ and the four-nation T20 series to be held before that.
The Nepali team will leave for Oman at 6.30 pm, said Binod Das, Cricket Manager of CAN.
According to Das, the flight was pre-scheduled even though the earlier scheduled time was 8:30 am.
Nepal, under the captaincy of Sandeep Lamichhane, is going to Oman with the goal of playing the World Cup for the second time.
The games of Global Qualifier ‘A’ are being held from February 18 to 24. Oman, Canada, and the Philippines are in Group A along with Nepal. Group B includes Ireland, UAE, Bahrain, and Germany.
Nepal is playing Oman in the opening match. Similarly, Nepal is scheduled to play the second game against the Philippines on February 19 and the third game against Canada on February 21.
The top two teams will advance to the semifinals after the match between the two groups, and the two teams that reach the semi-finals will advance to the finals and qualify for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November.
Before that, Nepal will play a four-nation T20 series in Oman from February 11 to 14. In which Nepal, Ireland, UAE, and Oman will compete. This series is seen as a preparation for the qualifiers.
A 16-member team led by Sandeep has already been announced. But due to the influence of Covid-19, there is a possibility of adding some players to the team.
Cricket manager Binod Das said that CAN’s official opinion on the matter would come soon.
Pubudu Dasanayake, who led Nepal to the T20 World Cup for the first time in 2014, is the coach this time. That is why Pubudu and the Nepali team are confident of reaching the World Cup again.
By Karuna Thapa
