Nepal will play Sri Lanka in opening day of the SAARC Twenty20 Cricket Tournament as it is drawn in a tough group.
Nepal is drawn in Group B along with Karnataka Institute of Cricket (KIC) of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Bangaldesh’s team, Afghanistan, Bhutan and hosts Maldives are drawn in Group A.
Nepal will meet Sri Lanka on October 31 before playing Pakistan on November 3, and KIC, India on November 5. The top two teams from each group reach semifinals to be played on November 6.
The schedule, however, is only tentative.
The draw was held in Male in a glittering ceremony attended by Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed.
Speaking at the ceremony President Nasheed said that the the event to be held in Fuvahmulah Maldives, would showcase the brightest young talents of South Asian cricket and commended the hard work of the Cricket Board of Maldives, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SAARC Taskforce and other contributing parties to make the event a success.
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka has nominated their U25 teams for the tournament. Maldives will be represented by their U25 team as well.
However, due to commitment of Indian teams, KIC was invited to represent India. Bangladesh had a similar problem due to tour commitments and Maldives has been trying to invite a representative team.
Groupings
Group A: Afghanistan, Bangladeshi Team, Bhutan & Maldives
Group B: KIC (India), Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka
Tentative Schedule
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