Nepal must be at their best against Bangladesh in World Cup cricket

The men’s Under-19 national cricket team of Nepal finally  broke the shackles in the ongoing  ICC  Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa.

In a nail- biting finish they barely managed to prevail over Afghanistan  by one wicket. It was their  first victory  but a very important one in the championship.

The win  earned them a place in the super six competition. With two defeats and one win,they  finished third behind Pakistan and New Zealand.

It was a must win duel for both outfits in order to qualify for the Super Six stage. Excitement and suspense reached crescendo as fortunes of teams dramatically fluctuated all the way to the end.

The match was tantalizingly poised after Nepal lost  its ninth wicket. At that point,it was anyone’s game.

The bowlers  were on top of their game by bowling out Afghanistan for a paltry 145 runs just in 40.1 overs,thanks largely to Aakash Chand’s superb bowling.

The speedster in a display  of pace and accuracy ripped through the opposition innings,scalping five wickets.

However,Afghanistan  tailenders  put in a stubborn batting performance and  fought back from 43/6 and 88/8 to amass a fighting  total of 145.

In the run chase,Team Nepal nearly botched the chance to win. Had it not been Dev Khanal’s valiant knock  of 58 under challenging circumstances,it would have been a different story.

At long last,  skipper Khanal was able to find form at the right time after going through a lean phase with the  bat.

It was a fairly achievable target but  inept batting almost cost them the match they should have won quite convincingly. 

The match turned out to be a cliffhanger, and they had to fight for every run to grind out a  laborious win at the end of the day.

To be fair, Afghanistan  bowled well and agonizingly came very close  to handing  their team an improbable victory despite defending a meager total . 

This  is yet another chance for Head Coach Jagat  Tamatta boys to leave an indelible mark in the tournament 

The young colts must derive inspiration from their morale boosting victory over Afghanistan and  go into the next round   with  a winning attitude.They have to make efforts to ride the momentum as well.

Unquestionably, the round of Super Six is a big test and challenge for Nepal as they are up against quality  opponents. 

It requires exceptional  concerted effort, all-round brilliance and a high level of consistency to beat the odds on their part.

Furthermore,they have to remain one hundred percent focused and stay confident and determined.

Given the high-stakes nature of the competition,staying on top of their game throughout  is a must.And there is  absolutely little room for error and mediocrity.

Batting continues to be Team Nepal ‘s Achilles heel.The batting average was well below in the last three matches. 

The batting unit has to improve markedly going forward.Batters  have to  get   back to the fundamentals, improve technically, commit  to their shots and  fully apply  themselves.

They  require patience, discipline, a healthy  level of self-confidence and stop letting emotions get the best of them . 

Likewise,the bowlers  have to  put in extra effort,consistently perform to their strengths to get the job done.

They have to maintain discipline, accuracy,precision  and not give away too many extra runs and boundaries throughout.The fielding needs to be a notch above  to  save runs and put pressure on batters.

Going into the opening fixture against Asian  champions Bangladesh on Wednesday,Team Nepal must maintain confidence ,enthusiasm and a winning mindset.