All eyes will be upon the men’s under-19 national cricket team of Nepal when they clash
against Pakistan in the ACC Under- 19 Asia Cup championship in the United Arab Emirates
Friday.

The venue for the competition was changed from Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates.
Eight teams are in the fray. Nepal alongside Pakistan,India and Afghanistan are in Group A,
while Group B consists of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Japan and the United Arab Emirates(UAE).
The championship will be played in a league cum knock out format with the top two teams from
each group advancing to the last four.

The Nepali outfit find themselves in a very intriguing and challenging group. They are pitted
against formidable Pakistan and India ,two powerhouses of Asian cricket.

Then they have Afghanistan,one of the fastest emerging teams in Asia with great potential to
deal with.

Given the quality, strengths and records of the oppositions,without the slightest doubt Nepal
has a big challenge on its hands.

They have to be at their best when it comes to performance and delivering results as a team.
Be it individually or collectively,it is imperative that they maximize their potential.

Team Nepal does have the momentum going into the tournament.They have had a good year
so far in terms of form, performance and results.They have qualified for the 2024 ICC Under-19
Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa They gave a good account of themselves by registering ten impressive wins over Saudi Arabia,Bahrain, Iran, UAE,Malaysia,Kuwait, Hong Kong ,Singapore and Japan in the ACC U19 Premier Cup.

They got the better of UAE in the final. They completely dominated the tournament and
remained unscathed .

They excelled in every department of the game.They batted solidly throughout the tournament
,amassing 300 plus runs on three occasions.

Both skipper Dev Khanal and Arjun Kumal were the tournament’s highest run getters.They
scored 240 runs each with the help of a century.

Against the big boys of Asian cricket in the Asia Cup in Dubai,they have to constantly come up
with big knocks as the team’s batting revolves around them.Their batting form will be key to the
team’s success.

They must stay focused,committed and bat with a confident mindset.There is absolutely no
room for sloppy and inconsistent batting.The same goes for the other batters.

The bowlers also will have a pivotal role in getting the team going in the right direction.
They have to maintain discipline, consistency and bowl their hearts out. Staying
calm,composed,collected, performing under pressure and delivering the goods will determine
their success ultimately.

Left-arm orthodox bowler Dipesh Kandel with 18 wickets was Nepal’s highest wicket taker in the
ACC U19 Premier Cup 2023/24 in Malaysia.

Once again the team will heavily rely on his bowling exploits.The other bowlers need to back
him up and will have to give their absolute all. Likewise,the fielding has to be top notch .

Team Nepal ‘s best finish in the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup has been a semifinal spot in 2017 so
far. They lost to Afghanistan eventually.

The inclusion of speedster Gulshan Jha in the team adds depth to both bowling and batting
department.

The talent packed Nepali outfit has a golden opportunity to prove themselves and write history.
They must develop a winning mindset, believe in themselves and rise to the occasion, first and
foremost.

-By Sushil Thapa, Fairfax,VA