The men’s national cricket team of Nepal squandered a huge opportunity to win the Twenty20 International Tri-series,which concluded in Glasgow,Scotland on Friday.

Australian Head coach Stuart Law looking for his first championship title was unfulfilled as his team failed to deliver the knockout punch when it mattered most.

Having gotten the better of the hosts Scotland in the first meeting in the series,they went into the crucial second match against them with high morale and psychological advantage.

They were aware that success was within reach and had a chance to end their tour of Scotland on a triumphant note.

Disappointingly for the team and their legion of supporters world wide it didn’t materialize as
they faced a 34- run defeat.

The three sides were tied on points, following Nepal’s defeat.The teams ended the series with 2 wins and 2 losses each.

The winners of the three-way tie was determined on a superior net run-rate with the home team Scotland emerging victorious.

Nepal pipped the Netherlands for second place.Despite narrowly falling short to get the job done,overall they had a good run in the series.

The absence of key players in the likes of Karan KC,Sompal Kami and Gulshan Jha made some difference in the team’s overall performance.

After winning the toss Scotland elected to bat first,which proved to be the right decision. They amassed a challenging total of 193 for 5 in the allotted 20 overs. The innings revolved around player of the match opener George Munsey who scored a commanding 78 and Brandon McMullen’s fighting 42.

Nepali bowlers had a relatively tough time and were unable to contain batters from scoring runs at will. Although they managed to check the run flow in the last 8 overs but were unable to clean up the tail which helped the opposition amass a competitive total.

Barring the spinners Sandeep Lamichhane and Lailt Rajbansi who picked up a wicket each,the four others had expensive bowling figures.Kushal Bhurtel took 2 wickets for 20 runs in 2 overs.

Considering Nepal’s improved batting performance in the series,they seemed poised to overcome the opposition’s total to win.

Contrary to expectations,the batters struggled for runs and the team was reduced to 40 for 4 in 5.1 overs.

Rupesh Singh topped the scoring with a committed unbeaten 43 but ran out of partners.As wickets fell at regular intervals,Nepal’s innings folded up in 18.5 overs,falling short of the target by 34 runs.

Allrounder Dipendra Singh Airee contributed 34 and became Nepal’s most T20 capped player.Skipper Rohit Paudel made 27.

To sum up, a chance goes begging for Nepal to end the championship drought,failing to capitalize on the chance.

By and large,in both the ICC Cricket World Cup league 2 and the Twenty20 series,Nepal played well and showed encouraging improvement, particularly in batting, which is key to their success in international competitions in the future.

Going forward, it is imperative that they take the positives,continue to focus on their strengths, work tirelessly to address their flaws and ensure consistency in their performances.

Cricket Association of Nepal must provide the team adequate international exposure against quality opponents with regularity.

They must develop quality competitive pitches( hard surface, spinning track and flat wicket) meeting international standards for the development of batters and bowlers in domestic cricket.

To add, there is a need for them to prioritize cricket development at the grassroots,set up academies equipped with modern facilities across the country,step up investment in infrastructure and build a quality and highly competitive domestic cricket.

By Sushil Thapa,Fairfax,VA