Batting collapse defers Nepal’s World Cup dream

By Pramod Joshi,Kathmandu, Jan. 27: Nepal’s dream of seeing their women’s side at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was dashed after a heavy 72‑run defeat to Scotland in the global qualifier on Monday.

The result confirmed Nepal’s exit at the group stage of the qualifiers, with just one win from four Group B fixtures. Their solitary victory came against Zimbabwe, who themselves bowed out without a win. 

From Group B, Scotland, the Netherlands and Thailand progressed to the Super Six, while Bangladesh, Ireland and the United States advanced from Group A. Papua New Guinea and Namibia also fell at the first hurdle.

Scotland’s win over the hosts propelled them to the second with six points while the Netherlands defeated  Thailand to remain unbeaten and top the table with eight points. Courtesy of Nepal’s loss, Thailand sealed their Super Six berth even before facing the Dutch later in the day. Thailand occupied third place with four points.

Batting collapse

The clash at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, was billed as a do‑or‑die encounter for Nepal. Having lost back‑to‑back matches to Thailand (by eight wickets) and the Netherlands (by two runs), the host had revived hopes with a six‑wicket triumph over Zimbabwe on Saturday. A big win over Scotland, coupled with a Thai defeat, could have secured their passage.

Instead, Nepal’s batting collapsed catastrophically against the 11th‑ranked Scots. Chasing 141 in a must‑win tie, they mustered only 68 runs in 13.5 overs, losing nine wickets. Skipper Indu Barma retired hurt in the seventh over after making five and did not return. The spark shown in the Zimbabwe chase fizzled out against Scotland’s disciplined attack.

Coach Harshal Pathak, Nepal’s first foreign appointment, had promised improvement after the Zimbabwe win. The bowling did show progress, but batting frailties resurfaced. 

Wickets tumbled at regular intervals, with the opening stand between Samjhana Khadka and Bindu Rawal worth just 15. Rawal (14 off 13) and Roma Thapa (14 not out off 11) top‑scored, while former captain Rubina Chhetry chipped in with 10. The rest of the line‑up folded cheaply: Khadka (7), vice‑captain Puja Mahato (2), Kabita Joshi (6), Sita Rana Magar (2), Kabita Kunwar (0), Riya Sharma (1) and Manisha Upadhayay (2).

Scotland’s Abtaha Maqsood returned figures of 3‑14, with Kathryn Bryce and Katherine Fraser bagging two apiece. Rachel Slater and Olivia Bell chipped in with one wicket each to complete the rout.

Manisha shines 

Earlier, Nepal had made a dream start with the ball after choosing to field first. Debuting at the global qualifier, left‑arm spinner Manisha Upadhayay produced a sensational spell, claiming her career-best 4‑17. Her previous best was of 4-20 against the United Arab Emirates during T20 World Cup Asian Regional Qualifier in Bangkok, Thailand.

She struck twice in her opening over, bowling Katherine Fraser for a duck and removing Darcey Carter for one. She then trapped captain Kathryn Bryce lbw for eight and later had Alisha Lister caught for 22 to complete her haul.

Rubina Chhetry backed up with 3‑23, cleaning up the tail. She bowled Slater in the 18th over, had Maqsood caught for one in the 19th, and dismissed Bell for a duck in the final over. Riya Sharma, Sita Rana Magar and Kabita Joshi chipped in with a wicket apiece.

At 79‑6 in the 12th over, Scotland looked vulnerable, but Priyanaz Chatterji rescued the innings with a blistering unbeaten 45 off 28 balls, laced with seven boundaries. Scotland eventually posted 140 all out in their 20 overs. Sarah Bryce (18), Megan McColl (17) and Slater (11) were the other double‑digit contributors.

Valuable experience

Speaking to the media at post match conference, Sita Rana Magar admitted Nepal made a bright start with the ball but came up short with the bat.

“We bowled plenty of dot balls early on and kept them down to two or three runs an over. But in the final ten overs we leaked far too many. At one stage we thought we could restrict them to around 120, judging by the first ten overs. Our fielding let us down as we gifted too many boundaries,” she said.

She pinpointed Puja’s dismissal, skipper Indu suffering cramp, and her own wicket falling as the turning point of the match. “We couldn’t steady the innings with a solid stand. We looked to up the tempo in the 12th over but failed to execute. Had we kept the visitors to a lower total, the chase would have been less daunting. But chasing 141, we tried to go hard and lost our way.”

Despite the early exit, Magar insisted the campaign had value. “Compared to previous tournaments, our performance has improved markedly. This stage is a big platform. We gained valuable experience, beating Zimbabwe and only narrowly losing to the Netherlands.”

She also acknowledged areas for improvement. “Our batting needs more stability, and we require players capable of cameo knocks to lift the run rate. Fielding also has to sharpen up.”

Magar remained optimistic about Nepal’s future. “If we continue preparing under the foreign coach, it won’t be long before Nepal are featuring in a World Cup.”