KATHMANDU, Nov 29: The U-19 Asia Cup cricket competition kicks off today.
The opening match of the U-19 Asia Cup will be held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE on Friday.
Nepal are placed in Group B alongside Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Similarly, group A consists of India, Pakistan, Japan, and the hosts UAE. Nepal are playing against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tournament, which was scheduled to begin at 10:45 am.
Nepal vs Sri Lanka (Live video)
The Nepali team has already reached the UAE on Wednesday to participate in the tournament. To prepare for the Asia Cup, Nepal played a five-match series with Karnataka U-19 of India. Nepal won the series 3-2 in the match at Trivi Cricket Ground.
Shakti Gauchan is the head coach of Nepal’s U-19 cricket team. This is the first time that Gauchan has been appointed the head coach of a national cricket team.
The Nepali team includes Captain Hemant Dhami, Arjun Kumal, Aakash Tripathi, Uttam Rangu Thapa Magar, Mayank Yadav, Naren Saud, Younis Vikramsingh Thakuri, Naren Bhatta, Santosh Yadav, Yuvraj Khatri, Roshan Bishwakarma, Bipin Kumar Mahato, Rajesh Yadav, Dayanand Mandal, Aprajit Poudel, Abhishek Tiwari, Dilsad Ali and Ranjith Kumar.
After facing Sri Lanka today, Nepal will play their second match against Bangladesh on December 1 and their third match against Afghanistan on December 3. The top two teams from the group will qualify for the semi-finals. The semi-final matches will be played on December 6 and the final on December 8.
