Kathmandu, September 6

Veteran allrounder Shakti Gauchan and Sunil Dhamala faced the axe as national cricket team head coach Jagat Tamatta and skipper Paras Khadka announced the 18-member squad for the sixth round matches of the ICC World Cricket League Championship today.

Nepal will travel to Hong Kong to play two matches of the Championship at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Mong Hok on October 13 and October 15. The players were trimmed from the 25 cricketers who were in the camp conducted by Tamatta.

Tamatta and Khadka will choose the final 14 and four reserve players from the 18-member squad for the matches. Gauchan and Dhamala, who were in the squad that played two matches against Kenya in the WCL Championship at home, were omitted from the list.

Gauchan failed to claim wickets in both matches against Kenya, while Dhamala, who made his national team debut against Kenya and got the chance to open the innings, failed to impress the selectors as he scored three runs in the first match and made just one in the second.

Dilip Nath and Avinash Karn, who were reserved players for Kenya matches, also failed to make the cut. Other players who failed to impress the selectors were Bikram Sob, Saurabh Khanal and Hasim Ansari. Sushil Kandel, Kushal Bhurtel and Lalit Bhandari, who are yet to make their debut in the national team, were included in the squad. Likewise, 12 out of 14 cricketers, who were in the final squad against Kenya — skipper Khadka, Gyanendra Malla, Sharad Vesawkar, Basant Regmi, Mehboob Alam, Sompal Kami, Sagar Pun, Binod Bhandari, Karan KC, Arif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee and Sandeep Lamichhane made the cut. Jitendra Mukhiya, Sushan Bhari and Naresh Budhayer are also among 18 members.