Nepal Cricket Team to Play Its First-Ever ODI Match on August 1, Against The Netherlands: A Look at the Statistics of Nepalese Cricket
From playing the ICC World Cricket League Division Five, eight years ago, to now being one of the top 16 nations of the world, the journey of Nepal cricket has been a scintillating one.
Nepal cricket team will be playing their first-ever One Day International (ODI) match in their history, on August 1. The Nepalese squad will be playing a two-match ODI series against the Netherlands, with the latter being the hosts. Nepal was awarded ODI status by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on March 18, earlier this year.
Nepal has been an Associate Member of the ICC since 1996; before it, they were an Affiliate Member since 1988. ICC awarded the Nepalese cricket team the Twenty20 International (T20I) status in 2014. Come Wednesday, Nepal will script history as it will be for the first time that the country will play a 50-over game, after officially being granted the ODI status.
We take a look at some of the statistics of the Nepal cricket team, ahead of their first ODI on Wednesday.
1. Nepal has played a total of 12 T20I matches since its inception in 2014; they have won 3, lost 8, and one game saw no-result.
2. Nepal’s captain Paras Khadka has scored the most runs for his team in T20Is, i.e. 236 runs.
3. Basanta Regmi, a left-arm spin bowler, is currently leading the most number of wickets in T20Is, i.e. 16 wickets.
4. Nepal’s highest 50-over score, i.e. 389/3 came against Bhutan in a match in Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Emerging Nations, 2003.
5. Nepal’s highest 20-over score, i.e. 210/6 came against Singapore in a match in ACC Twenty20 Cup, 2013.
6. Subhash Khakurel scored highest individual score for Nepal in a 50-over match, i.e. 115 runs, against the United States in ICC World Cricket League Division Four, 2012.
7. Mehboob Alam scored highest individual score for Nepal in a 20-over match, i.e. 88 off 41 balls, against Saudi Arabia in ACC Twenty Cup, 2011.
8. The best bowling performance for Nepal in a 50-over match was recorded by Mehboob Alam, who took ten wickets in that match, against Mozambique in an ICC World Cricket League Division Five, 2008. His match figures read 10/12 in only 7.5 overs.
9. The best bowling performance for Nepal in a 20-over match was recorded by Dipendra Chaudhary, who took 4/11 in 3 overs against Kuwait in ACC Twenty20 Cup, in 2009.
10. Not many know that Sompal Kami has the highest score in T20I, for a number 10 batsman. He scored 40 runs off 31 balls in a T20I series against Hong Kong.
All eyes would be on their captain Paras Khadka as he has been a mainstay in the side since he came to the fray in 2008, after captaining the U-19 team in the same year. The senior pro in the team, Shakti Prasad Gauchan, has announced his retirement, post the culmination of the two-match series.
From playing the ICC World Cricket League Division Five, eight years ago, to now being one of the top 16 nations of the world, the journey of Nepal cricket has been a scintillating one. The country, now, has a guaranteed ODI status for the next four years. From where will Nepal cricket goes from here would be an enjoyable watch. For their captain Paras Khadka, earning a Test status remains their next task on the list!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 30, 2018 05:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).