The ACC T20 Premier Cup challenge for the men’s national cricket team of Nepal concluded on a disastrous note in Oman.

They were left empty-handed,following two successive defeats in make-or-break matches at the end of the day.

The defeat to the United Arab Emirates and Honk Kong cost them dearly as they
squandered the opportunity to compete in both the 2025 Asia Cup and the second-tier
Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

They made a total hash of things and piled misery on themselves.They have no one to blame but themselves for the outcome.I never thought they would end up like this.

Once again the team’s batting weaknesses came to the fore especially in the last two crucial matches.

Without a shred of doubt,the top-order batters failed miserably.Their contribution was negligible.They were unable to hold the innings together and post competitive totals. In other words,they batted poorly and cheaply threw their wickets away.

Clearly there was a lack of application,commitment, technique discipline and character on part of the batters.

The team had to pay a heavy price for the below-par batting performance which triggered their downfall.

The bowlers did a pretty decent job.However,the batting failure kept them
under constant pressure for the most part of the competition.

Topping the group with four straight impressive wins in the league -cum- knockout round they clashed against archrival the United Arab Emirates for a place in the final.

Everything looked hunky dory for Nepal. However, they failed to ride the momentum, live up to
high expectations,rise to the occasion and deliver the result when it mattered most.

The 6 wickets defeat for Head Coach Monty Desai boys was a huge blow. It ended their
winning streak and title defense hopes.

The batting was at its worst.They could only amass a paltry 119 largely to Sundeep Jora’s
brilliant 50 .The top-order batters were irrelevant as they flopped big time.

The debacle was a rude jolt for Team Nepal.More importantly,they lost a spot in the final round of the 2025 Asia Cup.

As if that was not bad enough,there was more agony of defeat for them. In the battle for third
place,they slumped to a shock 4 wickets defeat against Hong Kong, the side they had beaten
comprehensively in the league stage.

The defeat also cost them a place in the ACC Emerging Asia Cup.

For the second match in a row, fragile batting culminated in defeat for them.All rounder
Dipendra Singh Airee( 44 not out) and Sundeep Jora (22) knocks provided them a ray of hope
but the total of 139 was not enough to save them from the humiliating loss
Team Nepal needs a dramatic batting improvement in order to become competitive against
formidable opponents going forward.

The top -order batters have been with the team for quite some time now and it is high time they
take more responsibility.

The coaching team must make an all out effort to find ways to improve the batting
performance.

Otherwise,the batting woes will continue and keep hurting the team .In addition, it will impede
their pursuit of Test Status as well.

With the T20 World Cup fast approaching,the batting needs urgent attention and a quick
turnaround. If not,they will be reduced to pushovers.

By Sushil Thapa,Fairfax,VA