KATHMANDU, Oct 31: Nepal has found itself in deep trouble in the ICC World Cup League-2 following a string of defeats largely caused by poor batting performances.
In the ongoing tri-nation series under League-2, Nepal suffered a five-wicket loss to hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday. Despite a century from captain Rohit Kumar Paudel, Nepal failed to set a competitive total and eventually lost the match easily. This marks Nepal’s 11th defeat in the eight-nation League-2, with the UAE —one of the weakest teams and lying last in the table — managing to dominate comprehensively.
Before this game, the UAE had won only three of their 17 matches, but they outplayed Nepal in all departments. The repeated batting failures have now increased pressure on Nepal to retain its ODI status and secure a spot in the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers.
In the current cycle, the top four teams after 36 matches will qualify for the 2027 ICC World Cup Qualifiers. Nepal still has 18 matches remaining, but with just 12 points so far, the team’s position is worrying — barely half of what the top teams have earned. The widening points gap with the fifth and sixth-placed teams has further intensified the pressure.
Road to ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 starts in September
This was Nepal’s second consecutive defeat in the series involving the USA and UAE. Earlier, Nepal faced a heavy 106-run loss to table-toppers USA after another batting collapse. The defeat to the UAE, a lower-ranked side, has now raised serious concerns about Nepal’s consistency and confidence.
So far in the 2024–26 League-2 cycle, no Nepali batter has made it to the list of top 19 run-scorers. Arif Sheikh is Nepal’s highest run-getter with 431 runs in 13 matches, while others lag far behind. The lack of patience and composure from Nepal’s batters has clearly been reflected in the team’s overall results.
Openers Asif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel have struggled to provide solid starts, while Bhurtel’s form has been particularly poor. His last half-century came in June against Scotland, and in the following 10 innings, he has failed to cross double digits.
Other top-order batters, including Asif Sheikh and Bhim Sharki, have also failed to anchor the innings. The same pattern repeated against the UAE — Kushal was dismissed for 7, and Bhim for 3. Asif managed 35 before getting out, leaving Nepal under pressure early on.
Captain Rohit Paudel then fought a lone battle, scoring a century and lifting the innings. However, with little support from the other end, Nepal was bowled out for a modest total of 233 in 50 overs. Arif Sheikh scored 27, Dipendra Singh Airee 23, and tailender Karan KC added 13. No other batter managed to reach double figures.
The UAE, in reply, chased the target with ease, reaching 234/5 with 39 balls to spare. Openers Alishan Sharafu and Aryansh Sharma dominated Nepal’s bowlers early on, adding 63 runs in the powerplay. Alishan scored 45, while Aryansh missed a century by just two runs, making 98 off 98 balls with 10 fours and three sixes.
Mohammad Waseem contributed 26, captain Rahul Chopra (retired hurt) made 15, Harshit Kaushik scored 13, Dhruv Parashar remained unbeaten on 16, and Zahid Ali on 11. Aryansh shared key partnerships of 76 runs with Waseem and 56 with Chopra, earning him the Player of the Match award.
Nepal used seven bowlers but failed to defend the target. Sandeep Lamichhane took two wickets, while Karan KC and Dipendra Singh Airee grabbed one each.
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bat, Nepal were all out for 233 in 50 overs. Skipper Rohit scored 109 off 130 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes. He shared a 76-run stand with Arif Sheikh for the fourth wicket and 54 runs with Dipendra for the fifth.
For the UAE, Zahid Ali took four wickets, Junaid Siddique claimed three, while Mohammad Rohid and Haider Ali picked one each.
With this defeat, Nepal remains in seventh position with 12 points from 18 matches, while the UAE sits at the bottom with eight points from as many games.
