KATHMANDU, Dec 1: The Nepal cricket team is set to face USA today at ICC Academy Nursery Oval 2 ground as a part of practice schedule ahead of the two-match series against the home team UAE in the final round matches of the ICC World Cricket League Championship. The national cricket players are set to reunite with former Nepal head coach and current USA coach Pubudu Dassanyake after his departure in 2015.
The former Sri Lanka cricket player Pubudu Dassanayake served Nepal as national coach from 2011 to 2015. The matches against USA and Kenya are part of a Tri-nation tournament to be played from Dec 1-3. Nepal faces Kenya on Dec 3.
Dassanayake has been credited with lifting Nepal's fortunes in their rise from ICC World Cricket League Division Four to the top flight of Associate cricket in the WCL Championship. Nepal also qualified for their first major ICC tournament during Dassanayake's tenure, reaching the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh where they recorded wins over Hong Kong and Afghanistan. He stepped down from the Nepal role in October 2015, citing personal reasons.
USA Cricket also announced to feature full match highlights from the practice matches against Nepal and Kenya on their website, usacricket.org. They made the announcement on their official twitter handle.
Nepal was relegated to WCL Division 2 after failing to secure berths in top four of WCLC following the defeat to Hong Kong in sixth round match last month. Nepal collected just one point out of possible four due to one defeat and another match being aborted due to rain in Hong Kong and now finds itself in the sixth position in the eight-team contest. Nepal’s final round opponent UAE is in the rock bottom of WCLC.
Nepal will play in WCL Division 2 in Namibia next year where it will have to finish in top two to earn a place in the World Cup Qualifiers. During the Division 2, Nepal will compete against Canada, Oman, Namibia, and UAE along with another relegated team from the WCLC.
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