Pitches in US, West Indies were challenging for batters: Paudel

KATHMANDU: Nepali cricket team captain Rohit Paudel has said that the pitches in the USA and West Indies were challenging for batting.

Speaking at a press meet after returning from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where Nepal played its last two group matches of the 2024 Men’s World Cup, Paudel said it would be unfair to blame the batters. He argued that although the team had full confidence in the first match, the field conditions did not allow for good results. “You all saw the pitch in the US; no one was able to score well,” he said.

Paudel said Nepal bowled very well in all the matches. He acknowledged some weaknesses in fielding and batting and expressed commitment to improving them in the coming days. “We had taken the best 15 players to the World Cup. The condition was challenging for the batters. But it was good for bowlers; the results in this World Cup are coming accordingly,” Paudel said. “There were some weaknesses in fielding too; we will improve on that. Batting also needs improvement,” he said.

Nepal suffered a six-wicket defeat against the Netherlands in the opening match of the World Cup, while its second match against Sri Lanka was washed out. Nepal got low targets of 116 runs against South Africa and 107 runs against Bangladesh in its last two matches, but failed to win both. It faced a one-run defeat on the last ball of the match against South Africa, while it conceded a 21-run defeat against Bangladesh.

Paudel attributed the losses, despite being in a winning position, to the lack of experience and exposure. “The top order tried to play long innings in the match against Bangladesh. But when wickets started falling, there was pressure. I think we need more exposure in that area,” he added.