KATHMANDU, Dec 8: Nepal is set to play the last match of the ICC World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) final round against United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Nepal suffered seven-wicket defeat on Wednesday. The 5-over per side match will start on 11:15 am Nepal Standard Time.
U-19 Captain Dipendra Singh Airee has been ruled out of the match due to injury. He has been replaced by U-19 opener Anil Kumar Sah in the squad. Sagar Pun who rested in the first match might get second match of the final WCLC match to round off the 2015-2017 tournament. Pace bowler Karan KC who was rested for the first match is also in line to feature in the second match. UAE, after winning the first match, is also set for providing opportunities to fringe players.
The positions of both the sides has remained unchanged in the eight-team contest as Nepal is in the sixth place with nine points earned from 13 matches whereas seventh-placed UAE extended its points tally to eight. Both sides have been relegated to Division 2 following their failure to cement their places in the top four of WCLC.
Nepal to bowl first, Pun replaces Gauchan in XI
Netherlands confirmed the WCLC title after defeating Namibia by eight wickets on Wednesday at ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. Second-placed Scotland also qualified for World Cup qualifiers by overcoming Kenya by eight wickets. Similarly, Hong Kong also secured its berth for the world cup qualifiers beating Papua New Guinea (PNG) by 23 runs. Despite the defeat, PNG also booked its place in the world cup qualifiers.
With a defeat to Scotland, Kenya has now been relegated to Division 2 before the second leg match that will be held on Friday. Kenya will join Nepal, Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Canada in Division 2 to be hosted in Namibia early next year. Two teams from Division 2 will earn the world cup qualifiers tickets.
