Nepal in make-or- break situation against Netherlands

 

Once a powerhouse,West Indies lived up to  their reputation by  handing Nepal a crushing defeat  in the ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

They registered a thumping 101  run victory against the hapless opponent who had hoped to stage an upset win.

The Windies’ victory would have been more emphatic  had it not been the  gutsy batting by the  middle order and  lower order,coupled with sloppy fielding by the winners.

On an ideal batting pitch the  Caribbeans dug themselves out of the hole to  post a massive 339 for 7 in the allocated 50 overs.

 

It was an exhibition of solid, confident, technically sound and delightful batting, especially by the two centurions who literally plundered the  mediocre and demoralized  bowling attack. 

The  216  runs partnership for the fourth  wicket between skipper Shai Hope(132)  and   Nicholas Pooran( 115)was the turning point of the match..

Their blistering innings helped the team   amass a winning total and  sit in a position of ascendancy.

After winning the toss Nepal  elected to bowl first  and  pacers Karan KC and Gulshan Jha  struck early,reducing  the opposition to 2/9 in the  fifth over. 

The Windies  had their backs to the wall and pressure was clearly  on the  incoming batters to rescue the innings.

On the other hand,Nepal stood a good chance in  restricting the opposition to a paltry total.After leg  spinner Sandeep Laimcahanne claimed  his first wicket in the tournament the Windies tottered at 3/55.

At that stage of the game nobody expected West Indies to battle back and put up a  huge total.

All the good work done in the initial stages  by Nepal went  to waste as West Indies batters  seized back the initiative and took total control of the situation.

The bowlers’ performance went haywire as they came under fierce assault and ultimately caved in under pressure.

Although spinner Lalit Rajbhansi was  the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets the damage was already done.

For the upteenth time,Nepal’s batting was exposed. It was another day of woeful batting  display.There was lack of resolve,confidence and discipline on the part of batters.

We all know the  top-order  has let  the  team down time and again.Thursday was no exception. 

Aarif Sheikh’s brilliant 63 and youngster Gulshan Jha  gutsy 42 gave some  respectability to the total.

In addition, the fielding was poor and there were dropped catches aplenty which proved costly for the team.

Nepal still in the mix

Despite defeat, Team Nepal is  still in the mix and  can make it to the Super Six round only if they prevail over the Netherlands on Saturday.

 

It's a make-or-break situation for  Coach Desai boys.Success can come their way only if they are able to bring their ‘A’ game.

 

It means bringing  out the  absolute best  in yourself, optimum effort,focus and undeniable commitment in every department of the game 

Apparently the batting  unit must  click at all cost . At the end of the day, the outcome  of the match  is  most likely to  be decided by the batting performance of the team.

The  side that bats consistently and  solidly stands a far better chance to emerge victorious.

Consistency is the key element missing in  Nepal’s batting on the ideal batting surface . They ought to have the right temperament  to play under pressure and  rise to the occasion.

 

The bowlers  have a task on hand  to contain the opposition  from  scoring freely. They got to look back at their performance  against the West Indies and not repeat the mistakes.

They need to step up, maintain patient , remain razor sharp and focussed when the  going gets tough and challenging . Also the fielding needs to be improved dramatically.

 

For youngsters in the team  it is another  chance to  steal the limelight  and do whatever it takes to perform to their potential at a stage big as this.

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