Oman vs Nepal: hosts meet in-form Nepal in League 2 clash
Key takeaways
- Oman and Nepal meet in Match 135 of ICC League 2 on Tuesday. The game is in Al Amerat, Oman.
- Nepal want a 13th win of the cycle. They beat Canada by 24 runs on Sunday.
- Oman have already sealed a World Cup Qualifier spot. Nepal must go through a playoff.
Oman face Nepal in Match 135 of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2. The game is on Tuesday, October 13.
The game starts at 11:45am Nepali time, reported The Kathmandu Post. It will be played at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Oman.
Nepal arrive after a 24-run win over Canada, according to Radio Nepal. Oman also beat Canada in their last game, reported Cricket World.
What happened
Nepal beat Canada by 24 runs on Sunday at Al Amerat, reported Radio Nepal. This is Nepal's last tri-series of the League 2 cycle, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Nepal lost the toss and batted first. They scored 235 in their 50 overs.
Canada were bowled out for 211 in 48.4 overs while chasing.
Rohit Kumar Paudel scored 101 off 127 balls, reported The Kathmandu Post. He carried the innings almost on his own.
Only three other Nepali batters reached double figures. Aasif Sheikh and Ishan Pandey fell cheaply at the top, reported Cricket World.
Kumal and Paudel added 46 runs for the third wicket, reported Cricket World. Then Kumal fell and Paudel attacked more.
Arjun Kumal made 23 off 54 balls. Basir Ahamad added 30 off 57.
Gulshan Jha smashed 48 off 34 balls at number seven. He has rescued Nepal's batting many times this cycle, reported The Kathmandu Post.
For Canada, Aaron Johnson top scored with 44 runs, said Radio Nepal. Samit Gohel added 35.
Johnson and Gohel got starts but threw them away, reported Cricket World. Akhil Kumar took four wickets for Canada, reported Radio Nepal.
Four Nepal bowlers took two wickets each, reported Radio Nepal. They were Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, and Nandan Yadav.
The win was Nepal's 12th of the League 2 cycle, said Radio Nepal. It lifted them to sixth in the table.
Earlier, Oman beat Canada by 41 runs, reported Cricket World. Oman posted 263 on a tough batting surface.
Hasnain Ul Wahab made 93 off 77 balls. He hit five fours and five sixes, reported Cricket World.
Jatinder Singh made 34 off 30 balls. Mujibur Imran Ali added 39 off 73.
Canada were bowled out for 222 in reply. Aaditya Varadharajan and Harsh Thaker made 64 and 40, reported Cricket World. But both got out at the wrong time.
A Cricket World preview notes low scores at this ground. The average first-innings total is 185. The average second-innings total is 167.
In Test cricket, batters can wait for loose balls. In one-day cricket, every ball must count.
Why it matters
League 2 is the road to the 2027 ODI World Cup. Eight teams play dozens of one-day games across the cycle.
The top four teams go straight to the World Cup Qualifier. The bottom four go to a Playoff round instead, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Oman have already sealed their Qualifier spot, reported The Kathmandu Post. The USA, Scotland, and Netherlands have sealed theirs too.
For Nepal, the top four is now out of reach. They sit sixth with 12 wins, 19 losses, and two no-result games.
They will enter the Playoff with Canada, Namibia, and the UAE, reported The Kathmandu Post.
This game still matters for Nepal. Coach Stuart Law wants to finish the cycle strongly. He told journalists, "We have created some good memories in Oman," reported The Kathmandu Post.
"The conditions are very good [in Oman]."
A win on Tuesday would be Nepal's 13th of the cycle. It would lift pride after a campaign where they fell short, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Nepal finished third in the last League 2 cycle and reached the Qualifier. This time they could not repeat it, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Nepal are rebuilding their squad. Paudel handed the T20I captaincy to Dipendra Singh Airee. He handed the ODI captaincy to Sandeep Lamichhane, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Young opener Arjun Kumal is replacing Kushal Bhurtel. His 23 off 54 was slow but steady.
For Oman, a home win would tighten their grip on fourth place. Jatinder Singh leads their batting with 805 runs this cycle, said Cricket World.
Shakeel Ahmed leads their bowling with 52 wickets, reported Cricket World. One preview by Cricket World picks Oman to win the toss and the match.
The same preview tips Shakeel Ahmed as player of the match, reported Cricket World.
Nepali fans support their team with rare passion. It recalls the noise of big football nights in Brazil's Serie A.
What happens next
Nepal have three fixtures left in this tri-series, reported The Kathmandu Post. Canada and Oman are the remaining opponents.
If Nepal win their remaining fixtures, they can finish fifth, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Then comes the Playoff. The dates are not announced yet, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Nepal must fix their top order before the Playoff. The Kathmandu Post notes the top order keeps crumbling. Jha keeps coming to the rescue from number seven.
Qualification races exist in every sport. In American college football, James Madison is changing conferences to chase stronger competition.
Tuesday's game will not decide qualification. But it will show where both teams stand.
Oman are settled, at home, and already through. Nepal are rebuilding, on the road, and playing for pride.
The long road to the 2027 World Cup runs through games like this one.
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