Kathmandu, August 22

The Nepali youth team will be looking for upset wins over Test-playing nations in next month’s ACC U-19 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.

Nepal are drawn in Group B along with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates, while India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kuwait are in Group A. Nepal will open the campaign with a match against the hosts Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on September 6 before facing Bangladesh at the P Sara Oval two days later.

Nepal will then wrap up the group stage with the match against the UAE at the MCG on September 10.

Top two sides from both the pools will advance to the semi-finals slated for September 12. The final is scheduled for September 14 at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.

Head coach Binod Kumar Das was happy with the team selection and believed the 15-member squad is the best one from among the available players. “I am satisfied with the team as we have got the best players selected from among the ones who have come forward in the last two years,” said the former U-19 and national team skipper. “The competition was tough among the players and those who could not make the cut are also good. I am happy that we have got a solid strong bench to look after.”

Das said the team could have prepared well for the tournament which features Test-playing nations. “It’s an important tournament and we need to compete against Test-playing nations of the region. We could have started the preparation at least two weeks earlier. It would have been the best for the team had we got the chance to go to India for preparation. But that was not possible. There is no point complaining and we have tried out level to make the full use of training period and available resources,” he added.

The team is going to Sri Lanka 10 days before the tournament and will get to prepare and play a couple of practice matches. “We will get time to acclimatise for the tournament and they have assured us of giving three practice matches before the tournament. The opponents are not confirmed yet but we are hoping to get teams from another group,” said Das.

Meanwhile, Nepal announced the 15-member squad for the tournament.

Rohit Kumar Paudel will lead the team that includes Rit Gautam, Pawan Sarraf, Mahamad Asif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Bhim Sharki, Hari Bahadur Chauhan, Kushal Malla, Rasid Khan, Kamal Singh Airee, Sagar Dhakal, Khadak Bahadur Bohara, Surya Tamang, Lokesh Bahadur Bam and Pratis GC.

Das is the head coach of the team, while another former national team captain Raju Khadka is the team manager. Batting Consultant Apurva Desai, Physio Vikram Nyaupane and Trainer Subash Patro will also accompany the players to Colombo. The team will leave for Sri Lanka on Saturday for final preparation of the tournament.

Nepal had advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament two years ago in their best performance so far and Das believed the team was improving. “Fielding and bowling are the strength of the team, while the batting is improving gradually. The average earlier was 140 runs but now the team can score up to 180,” said Das.

Asked about the opponents, Das said the teams were familiar and were beatable.“We have played with all the teams in the past. We have defeated Bangladesh in their home and we came close against Sri Lanka before losing by one run in memorable match. We need to have similar performances to get results and I am confident this set of players will fight and compete with any team. We are not going to give up against any Test-playing nation,” he added. “For now, the team is focusing for the match against Sri Lanka.”

Skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel echoed his coach’s version and said the team was the best one. “The preparation period was not adequate but all the team members have given their best to make the most out of it,” he said. Asked about the team’s target, Paudel said the team would take one match at a time and he also urged all the players to give their 100 per cent. “The team is a balanced one and we are confident of getting good results,” he said. “This is a big platform for all of us and we need to put in our best efforts,” he said.