Nepal´s Sri Lankan coach Pubudu Dassanayake insists that the first match will be vital as the team wants to start the tournament on a winning note. "Although every match in the tournament is important, victory in the first match will boost the confidence of the team," said coach Dassanayake. [break]
The tournament will also be the second test for Dassanayake, who was appointed as the coach of Nepali team in August 23. Earlier, Dassanayake had looked after Nepali U-25 squad for the SAARC T20 Tournament held in the Maldives last month. Nepal crashed out from the group stage of the tournament with defeats from Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Nepal´s only victory was against Karnataka Institute of Cricket, India.
The ACC Twenty20 will also be the opportunity for the national team to qualify for the upcoming ICC World T20 Qualifiers. The top three position holders apart from Afghanistan will qualify for the qualifiers of the ICC T20 World Cup to be held in the UAE.
Nepali team captain Paras Khadka said that the ACC tournament is important for the team as they are two steps behind the World Cup. Skipper Khadka said that they are all prepared to face Hong Kong in the opener. “We have the home ground advantage so we are sure of winning the match,” he said.
Coach Dassanayake too asserted that the players are ready for the match against Hong Kong. “The players had been training for more than six weeks and they are confident of winning the match. Hong Kong is a decent team and I am more focused on Nepal than the opponent,” said Dassanayake.
However, Nepal does not have a good record against Hong Kong in T20. Hong Kong has a 1-0 lead over Nepal in T20 with a 30-run victory during the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou last year. In the 50 overs matches, Nepal has registered three wins and faced three defeats with Hong Kong.
When asked about the history, captain Khadka said that the players will not be bothered by the records. “Our match against them is a new game and we will create history by winning the match,” said Khadka, adding, “T20 is a different pattern of cricket where weak teams can beat the strong teams.”
Coach Dassanayake said that bowling and fielding are the strengths of Nepali players. He said that a total of 140 is defendable score in the first match. He added that the team has not yet decided whether to bowl or bat first after winning the toss. “Nepal´s innings will be opened by wicket-keeper batsman Subash Khakurel and Anil Mandal. The order of the other batsmen will be decided by the situation of the match as we have left handed batsmen too.”
According to the coach, skipper Khadka, vice captain Gyanendra Malla, Prithu Baskota and Pradeep Airee are the match winners in the team. “We also have quality bowlers who can turn a match in our favor.”
Nepal Vs Hong Kong
(50 overs match)
ACC Trophy 1996 lost by five wickets
ACC Trophy 1998 lost by six wickets
ACC Trophy 2000 lost by 179 runs
ACC Trophy 2006 won by 87 runs
ACC Trophy Elite 2008 won by 44 runs
ACC Trophy Elite 2010 won by 118 runs
(T20)
Asian Games 2010 lost by 30 runs
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