The two sides will meet again on Monday at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground for the second match of the championship with both sides eager to win the match. The List A match (50-over) between Nepal and Namibia will kick off at 9:00 am NST.
Victory against Namibia in the second match will keep Nepal’s chances for playing in the qualifying round of the ICC World Cup 2018 (ODI) alive.
“Saturday’s victory has been a motivational factor for the second match,” said Jagat Tamata, head coach of the team, who added that victory in the second match will inspire the players to be more dedicated for the coming matches.
Nepal chased down the 196 runs target losing five wickets in 47.1 overs with Sharad Vesawkar scoring 50 runs and Binod Bhandari contributing 40 runs. Meanwhile, Basant Regmi bagged three wickets, Sompal Kami claimed two and Paras Khadka as well as debutant Sandeep Lamichhane pocketed a wicket each to restrict Namibia on 195/5 in 50 overs.
“We want to keep the winning momentum for the coming matches as we have poor record in the championship. This was our first victory. Every match will decide Nepal’s future,” said Nepali team skipper Paras Khadka after the victory on Saturday.
Nepal lost two matches against Scotland and two against Papua New Guinea in the championship. Nepal is yet to face four other nations in the championship and the results will decide Nepal’s fate.
Meanwhile, coach Tamata hinted that there could be some changes in the team but that will largely depend upon the pitch condition.
“We will formulate our strategy based on the pitch condition. If we change our strategy from the first match, then there will be changes in the squad as well,” said Tamata, who was optimistic about the second match. Tamata also said that scoring runs was not easy at the ground.
However, he termed that there will be pressure for both the teams in the second match.
Similarly, after Saturday’s match, Namibia skipper Stephen Baard said that his side will come with improved performance in the second match.
“We need to improve in the middle order and fast bowling should also be improved,” said Stephen.
Namibia has won one out of five matches it has played so far in the championship.
Namibia coach Dee Thakur also said that his team will play better game on Monday.
“We failed to execute our plans in the first match, so we will play better game in the second match,” said Thakur.
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