Nepal faces Oman in crucial ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 match

Kathmandu – Nepal is set to face Oman today in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. This is another crucial match for Nepal.

In the previous edition of the World Cup League 2, Nepal and Oman faced each other in 2020. In the ongoing edition, Oman is stronger in the points table compared to Nepal.

Oman currently holds the third position with 29 points from 25 matches, while Nepal is in the seventh position with 14 points from 21 matches. Nepal is in a challenging situation in this series, needing to secure continuous victories with 15 matches remaining.

Nepal must win at least 12 out of the remaining 15 matches to have a chance of being in the top four, which would qualify them for the ODI World Cup qualifiers for the second consecutive time. Out of these 15 matches, Nepal will play seven at home. After the series with UAE and Oman, Nepal will host another League 2 series against America and Scotland.

Following that, Nepal will travel to the Netherlands in July to play against the Netherlands and Namibia. In October, Nepal will head to Oman to conclude the 2023-027 League 2 cycle, where they will face Oman and Canada in Muscat.

Therefore, Nepal aims to win all the remaining home matches. In the ongoing home series, Nepal defeated UAE by 37 runs in the first match on Saturday. Oman, however, was defeated by UAE by 25 runs on Monday. Oman’s loss to UAE has provided some relief to Nepal.

Nepal must defeat Oman in their upcoming match to keep their hopes alive. Captain Rohit Paudel has emphasized the importance of this series for Nepal to finish in the top four. However, the batters face a challenge, as Nepal managed to score only 200 runs in their first match against UAE.

Despite the top order being under pressure, Dipendra held the Nepal innings together. Six years ago, Oman had a clean sweep in the League 2 series, but this visit to Nepal is not expected to be as easy. Oman, having rested some key players, was defeated by 115 runs in a practice match against Nepal ‘A’ at the Mulpani Cricket Ground on Friday.

Oman will attempt to rectify their mistakes at the TU ground. In their match against UAE, Oman failed to chase a target of 268 runs, managing only 243. Thus, Nepal must improve their batting performance to avoid additional pressure.