After showing promising form and securing a spot in the top four during both series of League 2 held at home two months ago, Nepal has once again struggled on foreign soil. In the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 match in the Netherlands, Nepal was defeated by Namibia by 8 wickets. Losing the toss and batting first, Nepal was all out for 157 runs, allowing Namibia to comfortably chase the target with the loss of only 2 wickets. Nepal’s captain, Rohit Paudel, cited Namibia’s excellent bowling and his own team’s weak batting display as the main reasons for the defeat. This marked Nepal’s third defeat against Namibia in the 2024-26 League 2 cycle, and it came in the very first game of the new series.
After losing the toss, Nepal’s innings collapsed, with all wickets falling before the 19th over, ending on 157 runs. Namibia chased down the target with 74 balls remaining, losing just 2 wickets. In League 2, Nepal has played a total of 29 matches and currently sits fifth on the points table with 24 points. Even if Nepal wins all the remaining seven matches, they will still be level on points with Scotland.
Following the remaining three matches in the Netherlands, Nepal will play their final series of the League 2 cycle in Oman, where they are scheduled to face Oman and Canada twice each in October. Captain Rohit Paudel expressed his commitment to improving the team’s strategy for the upcoming games. Namibia’s openers, Michael van Lingen and Jan Frylinck, delivered outstanding performances, both scoring half-centuries and forging a crucial 87-run partnership to secure victory. Nepal will next face the host side, the Netherlands, on Thursday.
