KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 8

National cricket team skipper Sandeep Lamichhane believed combined effort from all the players would take Nepal to T20 World Cup for the second time.

A 21-member national team, including 17 players, today left for Oman to participate in the Global Qualifiers for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup to be held in Australia later this year. Nepal will take part in a quadrangular T20 series in Muscat before competing in the Global Qualifiers slated for February 18-22.

Newly-nominated skipper Lamichhane was satisfied with the training although he was not part of the team preparation due to his commitments in Australia's Big Bash League. 'The training was up to the mark. I was not here in the beginning but the preparation under coach (Pubudu Dassanayake) was praiseworthy,' said Lamichhane.

'It was hampered a little bit due to COVID but I can say that we are flying to Oman with a lot of hope.'

Lamichhane said the team had been playing good cricket in the past few years.

'To be honest, we have a very good chance to qualify for the World Cup as we have been playing good cricket for the last few years. Statistics show it all. We have performed well at all levels except for a couple of matches.

And we are going into the Global Qualifiers carrying that momentum with us,' added Lamichhane.

'We have not been able to play in another World Cup since making it to the 2014 edition under Paras Khadka.

We have received the best of the training, which we always aspired for before going into any tournament. All the team members are boosted up and committed to give their 100 per cent in our bid to qualify for the World Cup,' he said. 'Paras dai (big brother) and team created history in 2014 and we all want to bring that moment back once again. It's not about me or the players alone, but the whole nation is dreaming of playing in the World Cup,' added Lamichhane.

'And we have a quality team and strong bench to fulfil the dreams.'

Asked about his excitement in leading the national team for the first time, Lamichhane said the feeling of being a captain was not very different. 'I don't see much difference in me being a captain or a team member. I had been leading the bowling unit as a responsible member of the team in the past and I was connected to all the players over these six-seven years in the national team. It's all about creating a comfortable scenario around the team and I have been doing this all the time,' said Lamichhane.

The skipper did not wish to name the opponents to beat in the Global Qualifiers but he said the team was aware of all the sides in the tournament. 'We have watched their videos and prepared our plans accordingly.

I cannot share much about it here,' he said.

Lamichhane said the team would play three matches before the Qualifiers and that would help the team in making a final call.

'We have not left any stone unturned in training this time around and I believe the three matches that we are going to play before the Qualifiers will help us a lot,' he added. Oman, United Arab Emirates and Ireland are the other teams in the quadrangular T20 series.

In the Global Qualifiers, Nepal are drawn in Group A along with Canada, Oman and the Philippines, while Bahrain, Germany, Ireland and UAE are in Group B. Top two teams each from both groups will make it to the semi-finals, while the two finalists will earn tickets to Australia. Nepal will begin the campaign with a match against hosts Oman on February 18 before taking on the Philippines the next day. Nepal will then face Canada in the final match of the league round on February 21.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 9, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.