Against all odds, Nepal managed to secure a spot in the 2018 Asia Cup, which will get underway on August 30 in Multan.
The 17-person squad that will soon go for Pakistan to begin training there has already been named by the selectors. There will be a lot of pressure on Nepal, especially when they play nations like Pakistan and India in the league stage, as Rohit Paudel will be leading them in their first-ever Asia Cup campaign.
Notably, the team didn’t meet expectations during the just finished Emerging Asia Cup. However, they managed to win over the United Arab Emirates while losing against Pakistan A and India A. There is now much space for growth because they performed quite poorly in the ODI World Cup qualifiers as well.
The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has announced the final squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023.
The Nepal team will go through a week-long preparation camp in Pakistan, where the team will train and play matches against PCB-designated teams. pic.twitter.com/yWt4ZDyogx
— CAN (@CricketNep) August 14, 2023
Particularly essential for Nepal in the competition will be the spin masters Sandeep Lamichhane and Lalit Rajbanshi. As a result of his extensive experience playing franchise cricket all over the world, Lamichhane in particular has the knowledge that may be useful. He has played 49 times for his country’s side and taken 111 wickets in those contests. As a result, he could be crucial in the forthcoming Asia Cup 2023 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, where the ball typically twists.
Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh are Nepal’s go-to batsmen when it comes to batting. Rohit, the team’s captain, will also be crucial. The 20-year-old has appeared in 52 ODIs for the national squad while scoring 1469 runs. The all-arounders Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, and Pratis G, on the other hand, will be crucial for the team in the blockbuster competition. Overall, despite their lack of experience, the team provides the critical firepower needed.
Rohit Paudel will serve as captain of the Nepal team at the 2023 Asia Cup, along with Asif Sheikh, Kusal Bhurtel, Lalit Rajbanshi, Bhim Sharki, Kushal Malla, D.S. Airee, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Arif Sheikh, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Kishor Mahato, Sundeep Jora, Arjun Saud, and Shyam Dhakal