Nepal U19 cricket team is set to make its comeback in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup after missing out on the previous two editions. The young Nepalese side qualified for the U19 World Cup 2024 by defeating UAE U19 in a thrilling final of the Asia Qualifier in October 2023.
The U19 World Cup 2024, which is being held in South Africa, kicked off on January 19 and will conclude on February 11. Nepal U19 is placed in Group D along with Pakistan U19, New Zealand U19 and Afghanistan U19. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super League stage, while the bottom two will play in the Plate League.
Nepal U19 will begin its campaign with a match against New Zealand U19 on January 21 at Buffalo Park, East London. The match will start at 1:45 PM (NST). Nepal U19 captain Prithvi Raj Singh said that his team is confident and ready to take on the challenge.
“We are very happy and proud to be back in the World Cup after eight years. It was not easy to qualify, but we showed our determination and skill in the Asia Qualifier. We have prepared well for the World Cup and we are looking forward to playing against some of the best teams in the world,” he said.
Nepal U19 has a history of upsetting New Zealand U19 in the World Cup, having won both their previous encounters in 2006 and 2016. In 2006, Nepal U19 stunned the Kiwis by one wicket in the plate final, thanks to a heroic knock by Basanta Regmi. In 2016, Nepal U19 defeated them by 32 runs in a group match, with three run-outs by their coach Jagat Bahadur Tamata.
Nepal U19 will hope to continue their winning streak against New Zealand U19, who have some talented players in their squad, such as Oscar Jackson, Tom Jones and Zac Cumming. New Zealand U19 will also be eager to end their curse against Nepal U19 and start their campaign on a positive note.
Both teams had mixed results in their warm-up matches, with Nepal U19 beating Scotland U19 and having their match against West Indies U19 washed out due to rain, while New Zealand U19 lost to West Indies U19 and beat Scotland U19.
Nepal U19’s other fixtures in the group stage are against Pakistan U19 on January 24 and Afghanistan U19 on January 26, both in East London.
Nepal U19 squad: Dev Khanal (c), Dipesh Kandel, Gulshan Jha, Durgesh Gupta, Subash Bhandari, Aakash Tripathi, Arjun Kumal, Deepak Bohara, Uttam Thapa Magar (wk), Dipak Dumre, Aakash Chand, Bishal KC, Tilak Raj Bhandari, Bipin Rawal (wk), Dipak Bohara
New Zealand U19 squad: Oscar Jackson (captain), Tom Jones, Zac Cumming, Alex Thomson, Ben Breitmeyer, Sam Clode, Rahman Hekmat, Josh Olliver, Cameron Paul, Snehith Reddy, Ewald Schreuder, Lachie Stackpole, Ollie Tewatiya, Ryan Tsourgas
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