Nepal faces two Associates in World Cup warm-up

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, May 18: Nepal is facing two North American countries – Canada and the USA – in the warm-up matches for the 9th edition of the T20 World Cup. 

According to the fixtures by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Nepal is playing the warm-up opener against Canada on May 27. Similarly, the second warm-up match, against the co-host USA has been scheduled on May 30.

Both the warm-up matches of Nepal will be played at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Texas. 

As per the fixtures, 17 of the 20 teams participating in the World Cup are playing warm-up matches. Only Pakistan, England and New Zealand have not been included in the warm-up sessions. 

Similarly, the 17 teams will play in 16 warm-up matches across six days. The warm-up session will end after the final match between India and Bangladesh on June 1 at TBC, USA. Official matches of the World Cup will then start on June 2.

Likewise, South Africa’s fixture states that the team will warm up with its intra-squad. 

Sad Nepali fans

Nepali fans had one great expectation from the ICC this edition: a warm-up match against a Test nation before the World Cup. However, the expectation was shattered when the ICC revealed the warm-up fixtures on Friday morning.

The link for the fixtures shared on the ICC’s Facebook page was flooded with dissatisfaction citing that Nepal faced discrimination.

The ICC has managed two warm-up matches each for the nine Associates participating in the World Cup. Nevertheless, of the seven top Associates (ICC League 2) participating in the 9th edition of the T20 World Cup, Nepal and Canada are the only teams not provided with a warm-up match against a Test nation.

Scotland and Oman are facing Afghanistan, the Netherlands is facing Sri Lanka, the USA will play against Bangladesh and Namibia will compete with Australia.

It is the second time that Nepal is playing in a T20 World Cup and the second time it was denied a warm-up match against a full member. 

Nepal, in the 2014 T20 World Cup, played against Ireland and the UAE in the warm-up matches. Ireland was not a full member then.

As per the schedule of the squad released by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), Nepal will end its training campaign in the West Indies on May 23. The CAN had planned to make the squad available for the ICC warm-up matches by May 25.