Nepali Women Cricketers Create Milestone

Playing in the Asia Cup is a significant moment for minnows like Nepal, one that they cannot afford to miss. Earning the spot in the continental tournament provides the opportunity to play against mighty teams and gain exposure in big events. It is also the window of opportunity to prove that the team belongs among the best.

This week, the Nepali women's cricket team had the opportunity to play in the ACC Women Asia Cup 2024 in Sri Lanka. Nepal made their comeback in the tournament after eight years. They first played in the 2012 edition held in China and then in 2016 held in Thailand.

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) launched the women’s continental tournament in 2004. The Women’s Asia Cup underway in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, from July 19-28 is the ninth edition.

As an Associate Member, Nepal had to go through a qualifying path to secure a spot at the Asia Cup. The full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) only secures a direct berth in the continental tournament. Full members India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan got their direct entry. 

Nepal’s hope of playing in the Asia Cup was dashed when they crashed out of the qualifiers, the ACC Women’s Premier Cup, held in Malaysia in February. Losing to host Malaysia in the semifinal robbed Nepali women's chance of playing in the Asia Cup.

Despite that, Nepal got an unexpected chance to play in the continental tournament following the ACC’s decision to expand the Asia Cup to eight teams. ACC decided to include the semifinalists of the qualifiers in the main event. 

Thus, Nepal, along with other semifinalist Thailand, got the chance to play in the women’s Asia Cup. As pre-decided, two finalists of the Premier Cup had already advanced to the Asia Cup.

Underdog

Nevertheless, Nepali women cricketers do not want to waste the opportunities like they did in their previous two participations. Nepal played three matches in 2012 and five matches in 2016. Both editions were forgettable for Nepali cricketers as they lost all the group-stage matches.

Determined to change the bitter history, Nepali ladies had set their goal before travelling to Sri Lanka. Captain Indu Barma said her team aims to end the losing streak and bag a first victory at the Asia Cup.

However, things did not look so simple after being drawn with the ACC Women’s Premier Cup champions, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), two-time Asia Cup runners-up Pakistan, and defending champions India in Group A. Nepal was an underdog in the group.

Moreover, the so-so performance of the Nepali women's team has left fans sceptical about the Asia Cup. Their disappointing result against Malaysia in the qualifiers has left the fans in tatters. Losing two of three tune-up matches against the Sri Lanka Development Squad also has left little hope for Nepali ladies. Clinching the last match against the Sri Lankan local sides somehow boosted Nepal’s morale before heading to Dambulla.

Moreover, players hardly had time to hone their skills on the field during their 45-day long closed camp training, which was hit by monsoon. They mostly utilised the closed camp focusing on fitness, another concern for Nepali women cricketers.

Maiden victory

Despite all odds, captain Barma’s side was in Dambulla to at least bag a single win. “Our first target is to defeat the UAE. After achieving the first goal, we will try to pull off an upset over the test sides and reach the semi-finals,” Barma said before the tournament.

As said, Nepali ladies achieved their first target in Sri Lanka. They stunned the UAE by six wickets in the tournament opener and created history by bagging their first-ever victory at the Asian tournament.

The ACC Premier Cup champion was the favourite side against Nepal. However, the exceptional batting from opener Samjhana Khadka led Nepal to a historic win. It was 24-year-old Khadka’s career-best innings that helped Nepal overtake the 116-run target with 23 balls remaining.

She justified her captain and coach's decision by successfully handling the opening. After 16 T20Is, Khadka was opening the batting for the first time. She held her nerve at the crease as Nepal lost the wickets of Sita Rana Magar, Kabita Kunwar, and captain Indu Barma for a single digit.

She raced to her first-ever T20 International half-century milestone off just 35 balls. Before leading Nepal to 118/4 in 16.1 overs, Samjhana cracked 11 boundaries off 45 balls. Her unbeaten 72 is the highest run Nepali batters have scored in the Women’s Asia Cup. 

She also became the first Nepali women's batter to score a half-century in the Asia Cup.

Besides, Samjhana’s 45-ball 72 is also the third-best score in women’s T20I from Nepali players. 

Rubina Chhetri’s unbeaten 118 against the Maldives during the Women’s Premier Cup in February and Sita Rana Magar's not-out 82 against Qatar during the T20I bilateral series in November 2021 are the first and second-highest scores. In addition, captain Barma’s spell of three wickets and a run-out also played a crucial part in restricting the UAE to 115/8.

Cricket lesson

Though Nepal achieved the first target, their second goal of upsetting the Test sides went unaccomplished. Rather, Pakistan and India gave Nepal the cricket lesson.

Nepal lost their second outing with two-time runners-up Pakistan by nine wickets. Back in the 2016 edition, Pakistan bundled out Nepal for 47 runs before winning the match by nine wickets.

This time too, Pakistan won by the same margin but failed to restrict Nepal to a low score.

After having the flying start, Nepal was looking for upset which could have sent them to the semifinals. The task, however, was daunting.

Samjhana opening the innings for the second time failed to emulate her match-winning performance against the UAE. She fell victim to a Pakistani bowler in the first over, chipping her wicket just for four runs.

The double figures from top order Sita Rana Magar (26) and Kabita Kunwar (13) and lower middle order batters Puja Mahato (25) and Kabita Joshi’s not-out 31 runs helped Nepal post 108/6 in 20 overs. The bowling department could not provide any trouble as Pakistan made the win quick in 12 overs with 110/1 on the scoreboard.

The match against another cricket giant, India, was no doubt going to be a one-sided affair. India's dominance in women’s cricket was evident with the seven titles at the Asia Cup. The match between numbers 3 and 21 in the global ranking obviously will have lots of disparities.

Steep Learning

India’s 179-run target proved too much for Nepali batters. Struggling to settle on the crease in the run chase, the Nepali wicket kept falling at regular intervals and managed only 96/9 in 20 overs. With the loss, Nepal crashed out of the tournament, finishing in the third position of Group A.

The tournament was another steep learning curve for Nepal. Unlike the previous Asia Cup Nepal participated in, there are some positive sides that Nepal takes from this edition. Besides clinching a first victory, surviving for a full 120 balls against cricket giants was in itself an achievement for Nepal. 

The experience of competing against strong opponents highlights the area where the Nepali team needs to improve. Inconsistent batting and bowling and slack fielding are the areas where the Nepali women's cricket team needs to improve if they want to make their comeback in the Asian tournament stronger, as said by Captain Barma.

With continued support and development, the team has the potential to make significant progress in women's cricket. While the results might not have been entirely favourable, the exposure to high-level competition will undoubtedly benefit the team in the long run.

(Joshi is Associate Editor at TRN.)