Nepal has announced national squad for the ICC World Cricket League Championship two one-day matches against Namibia to be played at the TU Ground on April 16 and 18.
The 18-member Nepali team include Paras Khadka (skipper), Gyanendra Malla (vice-captain), Sagar Pun, Naresh Budha Ayer, Sharad Bheswakar, Binod Bhandari, Raju Rijal, Sandip Lamichhane, Susan Bhari, Basnata Regmi, Shakti Gauchan, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, and Rajesh Pulami.
Three players from the U19 team that played the Youth World Cup in Bangladesh were named. They are wicket-keeper Raju Rijal, spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, and Susan Bhari. Four players named as alternative players are Bikram Sob, Dipendra Singh Airi, Prem Tamang and Anil Mandal.
According to the National Sports Council a selection team comprising International Cricket Council (ICC) representative Bandula Warnapura, coach Jagat Tamata and captain Paras Khadka named the team.
Jagat Tamata, who guided Nepali U-19 team into the quarterfinals of the ICC U-19 World Cup, is the coach of the team whereas former coach Pubudu Dassanayake is also in Nepal to support the team as consultant coach.
Meanwhile, the ICC has announced the schedule for ICC World Cricket League Championship matches to be held in Nepal. Namibia will travel to Kathmandu, where it will play two 50-over matches against Nepal. These games will be held on 16 and 18 April at the Tribhuvan University Ground.
The top sides from the ICC World Cricket League Championship will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which will be held in Bangladesh in 2018.
The ICC World Cricket League Championship is an elite 50 over competition played between leading Associate and Affiliate members. The ICC WCLC is the pathway for participating teams to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 and subsequently have a chance to qualify for ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
The ICC WCL Championship will run from 2015-2017. Four of the eight participating teams in ICC WCLC have ODI status while the other four teams have been promoted from ICC WCL Division 2 which was held in Namibia in January 2015. Teams in WCLC include Scotland, UAE, Hong Kong, PNG, Netherslands, Namibia, Nepal and Kenya.
Nepal has so far played four matches – two each against Scotland and PNG and have lost all of them. Namibia on the other hand has lost 3 out of 4 matches beating Hong Kong and losing to Hong Kong and Kenya.