Nepal named their squad for the upcoming Asian Games cricketing event to be played in Hangzhou, China. They took part in their first Asia Cup tournament as they were pitted against India and Pakistan. It was a great learning experience for the Nepal side and will be looking for a great performance in the prestigious Asian Games tournament.
Rohit Paudel will lead the Nepal side in the Asian Games 2023. Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Gulshan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee, Karan KC consist of batters. The pace bowling department consists of Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, and Sundeep Jora. Lalit Rajbanshi and Sandeep Lamichhane consist of spinners who would create an impact on the team.
It promises to be an exciting tournament as Nepal will be pitted with Mongolia and Maldives in Group A. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarterfinals as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh made it directly for the top 8 section.
Nepal struggled badly in the two Asia Cup matches. They looked impressive in the field against Pakistan picking up 4 wickets before Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed smashed Nepal bowlers posting 342 for 6 in 50 overs. Kushal Bhurtel and Aarif Sheikh produced a lovely start in the second match against India putting on 65 runs. It was an impressive batting performance as they made 230 runs but lost the match badly by 10 wickets in a rain-curtailed encounter.
Nepal will look to qualify for the quarterfinals after defeating Maldives and Mongolia in the group stage before they could give tough fights to top teams. They look strong on paper and would be hoping to defeat these two inexperienced sides.
Nepal Men’s Cricket in Asian Games
Nepal Men’s Cricket Team took part in the 2010 edition of the Asian Games. They reached the quarterfinal stage in the 2010 edition. Nepal lost to Sri Lanka in the quarterfinals. They also took part in the 2014 edition and lost in the quarterfinals in that edition. Nepal lost to Afghanistan during that tournament.
Nepal Squad for Asian Games 2023
Rohit Paudel (C), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Sundeep Jora, Binod Bhandari, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Bibek Kumar Yadav, Abinash Bohara, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Pratis PC
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