Nepal pummeled by West Indies and exit World Cup

 

Team Nepal’s losing streak continues in the men’s ICC  Twenty 20 World Cup cricket tournament in Mumbai, India much to the consternation of their supporters.

They went down by 9 wickets, the third defeat in a row at  the hands of the West Indies. 

The  victorious West Indies batted and bowled  solidly to dominate the proceedings and overwhelm the opposition. More importantly, the win earned them a place in the  Super 8s round.

On the other hand,in a must win match it was another agonizing defeat for Nepal, losing for the  second successive  game by a wide margin.

The  latest setback was costly,putting an end to Nepal’s hopes of advancing to  the Super 8s round. Although they have a match to play against Scotland, they have technically exited the competition based on the group’s table standings.They are at the bottom sans a win and point. 

By and large,both batters and bowlers underperformed and were exposed, contributing to the team’s downfall. 

Sent in to bat  first by the West Indies after they won  the toss,Nepali batters looked  subdued and  mightily struggled to handle the  opposition’s pace attack . They were jolted early in the innings with the departure of opener Kushal Bhurtel  for 1 with the  score on 2. 

From  there on, the batting virtually crumbled as wickets fell at regular intervals, and the total was reduced to 73/6. The  majority of the top order batters were  cheaply dismissed.

Dipendra Singh Airee’s impressive knock of 58  and Sompal Kami  stubborn unbeaten 26  steadied the innings. The partnership  for  the  seventh wicket yielded 54 runs, helping the total reach 133 for 8. Also it  provided  them an outside chance of an upset victory.

The tormentor for the Nepali batters was none other than pacer Jadon Holder who bowled superbly to end his spell with 4 wickets for 37 runs.

In pursuit of the paltry total, the West Indies  batters were on top of the bowlers who put in a lackluster performance. 

 

Skipper Sai Hope(61 runs) and Shimron Hetmyer(46 runs) shared 91 runs for the second wicket and led their team to a comfortable victory in the 15.2 overs.

 

Nandan Yadav took the sole wicket for Nepal.The bowlers lacked  good line and length,allowing  batters to score runs with ease. As a result, they were pummeled throughout the innings .Adding fuel to the fire, Nepal’s fielding was poor and not up the mark.

Nepal’s lackadaisical performance has turned  off  many of their fans and supporters, especially after the thumping defeat to  Italy. They  took to social media  to vent their discontent,frustration and anger against players and team’s mediocrity.

Head coach Stuart Law, emphasizing the impact of  social media, warned players not  to follow social media and get distracted when playing  in a tournament. He suggested that they remain totally focused on cricket and upcoming matches. 

Bowler Sompal Kami agreed with the coach and said  they  should  stay away from social media  during the entire tournament period.

The final  match against Scotland has assumed great significance for Nepal, in many respects.

Foremost,they face a big challenge to put an  end to their losing streak and avoid a whitewash.

Despite  everything,concluding the tournament on a winning note is bound to help them regain confidence and win back the hearts and minds of their supporters.

It is crystal clear that, be it collectively  or individually,they have to take their performance to a whole new level to make the most out of the match and end up in the win column.

They have to make every effort  to replicate their performance against England. 

This is   a do- or- die situation for Nepal. There is virtually no room for brittle batting,ineffective bowling and ragged fielding  to beat the high odds stacked against them.

They have to be hundred percent focused,committed,motivated,and resolute to perform to their potential and strengths in order to  get a positive outcome.