Nepal to open Asian Cup facing Bangladesh

Published On: November 10, 2017 08:05 AM NPT By: Republica  | @RepublicaNepal


KATHMANDU, Nov 10: Nepal is beginning its ACC U-19 Youth Asia Cup campaign taking on Bangladesh on Saturday.

Nepali skipper Dipendra Singh Airee said that having played the practice matches against Bangladesh in Dhaka would be helpful while facing it at Kinrara Oval Cricket ground in Malaysia.

“We played the friendly series against Bangladesh, which was very competitive. That experience will help us. We will look forward to continuing it in the first match too,” said Airee during a pre-match conference in Malaysia on Thursday. 

Similarly, Bangladeshi Captain Mohammad Saif Hassan was expecting tough fight from Nepali side.  “Nepal had given a tough fight during the practice match series and won one. But we are looking forward for a positive start,” said Hassan. 

Although Nepal’s match is scheduled for Saturday, the continental tournament will kick-off on Friday with host Malaysia facing heavyweight India in Group A encounter at Kinrara Oval.  

Ahead of the tournament opener, Malaysia’s skipper Virandeep Singh said that his team was not thinking about the result. “We are not thinking about the possible result. Our focus is to play good cricket against strong opponent India,” said Singh. 

Similarly, Indian Captain Himansu Rana said that his team was committed to continue an impressive form in the tournament. “We have not been defeated in the finals of all editions and will look to continue it. The team is motivated despite not having full strength,” said Rana. India has won all of the last three editions of the Asia Cup. 

In the Group B matches, Test playing nations Pakistan and Afghanistan will compete with one another at Bayuemas Oval Cricket ground while Sri Lanka will take on United Arab Emirates at Royal Selangor Club ground. 

A total of eight Asian countries including five Test playing nations are competing in the tournament. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are the Test playing nations taking part in the tournament while Malaysia got an entry as the host. Likewise, Nepal and UAE earned tickets to the competition as the Eastern and Western region champions respectively.

 


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