Himal Press 
Match Facts:
Nep Vs Sri Lanka | Lauderhill, Florida | Wednesday | 5:15 am NST |
KATHMANDU: Captain Rohit Paudel expressed confidence in his team’s ability to pull off an upset win against Sri Lanka in their 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match in Florida on Wednesday.
“The results of Associate teams defeating Test nations in this World Cup has boosted our morale. We have been preparing well for two months and playing regularly for over a year,” Paudel said in a pre-match conference on Tuesday morning. “We believe we can win tomorrow.”
Although Sri Lanka has a strong spin bowling attack, Paudel said Nepal is ready to tackle it. He expects a high-scoring game on the good Florida pitch conditions, unlike the low-scoring matches in New York and Dallas. “The pitch in Florida looks good as it has been hosting matches regularly. We also have trained in the ground and we know about the conditions,” he added.
Paudel also said Nepal is capable of beating any team. “If we respect the conditions and present our skills, we are capable of beating any team. That belief is there,” Paudel said. ” There have been a lot of shockers in this tournament. More than the associate teams, the pressure is on the Test nations. By utilizing the pressure, we want to win tomorrow’s game. We are excited for tomorrow.”
Paudel hinted that Nepal is likely to persist with the same opening batters. “The final team will be decided based on the ground conditions as rain has been forecast for tomorrow,” he added.
Sri Lanka played two warm-up matches in Florida. It lost against the Netherlands but recorded a win against Ireland. Nepal, however, lost against Canada, while it second match against the US was washed out.
Defeats against South Africa and Bangladesh have left Sri Lanka in a precarious position and it needs a win to stay in the tournament.
