KATHMANDU, AUGUST 14
The Cricket Association of Nepal today announced the final squad for the Asia Cup to start later this month in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Regular skipper Rohit Paudel will lead the team in the premier tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council which will be participated in by eight teams - five ICC full members from the region and a qualifier. Nepal had earned the berth in the tournament as the winners of the ACC Premier Cup held in Kathmandu on May. Nepal are in Group A along with India and Pakistan, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in Group B. The Asia Cup, which was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan, is being organised in two nations after India refused to travel to Pakistan and the ACC accepted Pakistan Cricket Board's hybrid model.
Karan KC, Asif Sheikh, Gulshan Jha, Kushal Bhurtel, Arif Sheikh, Lalit Rajbanshi, Bhim Sharki, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Kishor Mahato, Sundeep Jora, Arjun Saud and Shyam Dhakal are the other members of the team. Nepal are playing in the Asia Cup for the first time. They had qualified for the tournament in 2004 but event got cancelled due to political tensions between India and Pakistan.
Nepal will take on Pakistan in Multan on August 30 and they travel to Sri Lanka to play against India on September 4. As the winners of the ACC Premier Cup, Nepal had also qualified for the Emerging Teams Asia Cup where they faced defeats against 'A' teams of India and Pakistan in Sri Lanka earlier this month.
Despite playing their biggest tournament after the 2014 T20 World Cup in terms of heavyweight opponents, the CAN has not scheduled any training for the team. While coach Monty Desai is in leave, the players are undergoing self training. The team, however, had undergone a 15-day Special High Performance Camp in Sri Lanka after the Emerging Teams Asia Cup. They also played four practice matches against the Sri Lankan development sides. The team returned from Sri Lanka on August 3.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 15, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
