Nepal Cricket Team Gets CAN Farewell Ahead Of League 2 Tri-Series In Netherland

KATHMANDU, July 5 — The Cricket Association of Nepal on Sunday gave an official farewell to Nepal’s men’s national cricket team in Kathmandu before its departure for the Netherlands, where Nepal will face Namibia and host Netherlands in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 ODI tri-series starting July 21.

CAN President Chatur Bahadur Chand, Vice President Roshan Singh and Secretary Paras Khadka attended the farewell ceremony and extended best wishes to the national team.

The tri-series is an important assignment for Nepal in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 cycle, which is part of the qualification pathway for the 2027 Cricket World Cup. Nepal will play four ODI matches in the Netherlands, facing Namibia twice and the Netherlands twice.

Nepal’s first match of the series will be against Namibia on July 21. The team will then play the Netherlands on July 23, Namibia again on July 27 and the Netherlands again on July 29. The matches are scheduled to be played at Sportpark Maarschalkerweerd in Utrecht.

The 15-member Nepali squad will be led by captain Rohit Kumar Paudel, with Dipendra Singh Airee as vice-captain. The squad includes Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Ishan Pandey, Aarif Sheikh, Gulshan Kumar Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Bhim Sharki, Arjun Kumal and Binod Bhandari.

CAN has also named Shahab Alam, Hemant Dhami, Aakash Chand, Yuvraj Khatri and Sundeep Jora as reserve players for the tour.

Before reaching the Netherlands, Nepal is scheduled to play two 50-over preparation matches against Jersey on July 13 and July 15 at NCC Grainville. The matches are part of Nepal’s preparation for European conditions and will not count toward the League 2 points table.

The upcoming series carries added importance as Nepal continues its push to improve its position in the League 2 table. League 2 is an eight-team competition, but only the top four teams will directly move to the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The bottom four teams will have to compete in the Qualifier Play-off for another chance to stay in the World Cup qualification race.

For Nepal, the Netherlands tour is not just another international assignment. It is a key opportunity to collect points, build momentum and keep its World Cup qualification hopes alive.

PC: Nepal Photo Library