Team Nepal geared up for historical ODI challenge

The much -anticipated Triangular Twenty20  series featuring MMC, the Netherlands and Nepal came to a disappointing end at Lord’s cricket ground in England.

Heavy rain played havoc with the series  ruining a day of absorbing and exciting cricket. The umpires called off the  finale between the Netherlands and Nepal following a heavy downpour,much to the chagrin of Nepali fans who turned up in big numbers.

Although the result of the match was inconclusive,both the Netherlands  and Nepal were declared joint winners of the Triangular series.

In fact, the rain also  affected the two matches played early on the day. The rain delayed matches had been reduced to six overs.

In both matches, MCC lost to the Netherlands and Nepal. Nepali bowlers did well to restrict the opposition to under 40 runs.

Right-arm fast-medium pacer Sompal Kami impressed,picking up two wickets,while veteran Shakti Gauchan on the verge of retirement got one.

Chasing a paltry total, Nepali batsmen easily secured victory in 4.4 overs for the loss of 1 wicket.Subash Khakurel(16) and Gyanendra Malla (12) guided the team to victory after the fall of  Anil Sha’s(9) wicket,

Likewise, the Netherlands got the better of MMC with the help of  Tobias Visee’s blistering big-hitting 58( 4 fours & 5 sixes)not out in 23 balls.

The day’s final and only international fixture between Nepal and the Netherlands was incomplete and eventually abandoned as mother nature showed no mercy.

Prior to that,the match was reduced to 18 overs, and Nepal  elected to field first after Paras Khadka won the toss.

The decision  seemed to have backfired as the Dutch  put in a dominant batting display. They were cruising along at 174 for 4 in 16.4 overs before the game was called off.

It would not be an understatement to say that the rain did Nepal a favor. Had the Dutch batted 18 overs,probably, they could have amassed somewhere between 190 to 194 runs.

Given Nepal’s susceptible batting,it would have  been a challenging total to chase. Nepali bowlers struggled to find their rhythm and failed to pin down batsmen as they got hammered.

Captain Khadka employed six bowlers,including himself, combining spin and pace in vain. Star bowler Sandeep Lamichhane went wicketless in his four overs,conceding 43 runs.

It was a missed opportunity for Nepali batsmen to face and handle the pressure and prove their worth.

Nepal will be making their 50 over One Day International(ODI)  debut against the same opponent ( the Netherlands) in their backyard.

Playing in the  historical two-match ODI series  will be a dream come true for Nepali players who have waited long  enough for this day.

Both matches will be live  streamed, and every Nepali cricket fan is going to be glued to TV sets.Fans excitement is at fever pitch, and expectations are high.

Without  a doubt, the Netherlands are favorites to win the series based on their overall strengths.They have the depth in batting, and  a fairly good pace attack consisting of swing bowlers.

Forgetting not, the Dutch batsmen tactfully dealt with Nepal’s spinning attack in the Triangular series. Is this something to worry about?  You be the judge.

The Dutch side is beatable. The good news is that Nepal beat them  in their own backyard in the T20 series in 2015.. Certainly, it can be done again.That being said, however, they will have to  play the best cricket.

Question marks still remain over Nepal batting. Clearly, the burden is  on batsmen to deliver. They have to outperform expectations to stand a chance in the series.

With the team’s batting overly reliant on Skipper Khadka, Vice captain Malla must find his form to take the pressure off his skipper.

The contribution of young batsmen is equally important for the team’s success. They will have to dig deep and come up with worthy performance.

They must  learn from the past mistakes and bat with confidence, determination, grit, discipline and make the most of it.

Nepal needs a solid opening partnership, either to build a winning total or to chase a total. In addition, they should be able to bat in crunch situations.

With the pitch fast and bouncy, the Dutch side  armed with a good set of seam bowlers could make life uneasy for Nepali batsmen.

Nepal’s strength is bowling, no doubt, however, especially against the Dutch  in the Triangular series bowlers were not in their element.

They must rebound, find their mojo back and be at their very best  to stop the experienced Dutch batting lineup from scoring runs freely.

Ace leg break googly specialist Lamichhane might not have lived up to his reputation in the Triangular series, nonetheless, once again, he will be pivotal to the success of Team Nepal.

Understandably, conditions may not be to spinners liking, but he has the extra quality to turn things around despite odds.

Should Nepal go for  the four-man pace attack comprising Sompal Kami,  Karan KC, Lalit Bhandari and Rohit Kumar Paudel,they have  to make the best out of pitch conditions.

Running between the wickets has to be taken one notch above  and fielding needs improvement. Let us all keep our fingers crossed and hope that Nepal upsets the apple cart.