Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal opened its ICC Men’s World Cricket League 2 (2024-2027) campaign on a disappointing note, conceding a four-wicket loss against Namibia on home turf on Thursday.
Invited to bat first after losing the toss, Nepal folded for a paltry 132 runs in 41.1 overs. Namibia overcame the target, losing six wickets with 101 balls remaining, inspired by Captain Gerhard Erasmus’s five-wicket haul.
Nepal made a poor start with the bat as it lost opener Kushal Bhurtel for a duck. Nepal soon found itself languishing at 21/4 in 9.3 overs as its top order collapsed miserably. Bhim Sharki and Kushal Malla tried to resurrect Nepal’s innings, scoring 44 and 15 runs, respectively. Gulshan Jha scored 21, while Pawan Sarraf and Karan KC contributed 12 and 16 runs, respectively. Other Nepali batters failed to reach double digits.
Chasing a small target of 133, Namibia added 27 runs for the first wicket but saw wickets fall at regular intervals. Michael Van Lingen scored 23 runs from 33 balls while Nikolaas Davi scored a 16-ball 15. Jyan Frylinck and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton scored 34 and 31 runs, respectively, while JJ Smit hit an unbeaten 31 off 30 balls.
Nepali bowlers put pressure on Namibia despite posting a low total on the board. Sompal Kami took three wickets in his seven-over spell, while Lalit Rajbanshi and Rohit Poudel claimed two and one wicket, respectively.
Nepal will play its next match against the Netherlands on Saturday.
This is the first tri-series of the ICC WCL 2 (2024-2027), which also features Scotland, Oman, USA, UAE, and Canada. The eight teams will play 36 matches each over the next four years. Each nation will host three tri-series and play six tri-series away from home, playing four matches in each series.
