Himal Press 
Players and officials pose for a photo after confirming Nepal's spot in the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. (File Photo)
KATHMANDU: Nepali cricket fans are in for a treat as the year 2024 is packed with crucial tournaments and bilateral and tri-nation engagements in both ODI and T20 formats for the men’s national cricket team.
According to the annual calendar published by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) on Thursday, the men’s national team is scheduled to play ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, CWC League 2 matches, ACC Premier Cup, and bilateral as well as tri-nation series with different countries both at home and abroad during the year.
The national team will kick off 2024 with a three-match ODI series at home against Canada. The matches will be played on February 10-14. Following the ODI series with Canada, the national team will engage in the ICC CWC League 2 matches from February 17 to 24. Nepal will kickstart its CWC League campaign by hosting the Netherlands and Namibia. The teams will play each other twice in the Nepal leg of the series.
The CWC League 2 matches will be followed by a tri-nation T20I Tournament involving the three sides. The tournament will be played in a double round-robin format and the two best teams after the round-robin stage will play in the final.
Nepal may also participate in the Quadrangular T20I series in Hong Kong from March 6 to 12. Additionally, plans are in motion for the men’s senior team to participate in the T20 series featuring A sides of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan between March 20 and April 5.
Nepal will participate in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup, a T20 competition, to be hosted jointly by Oman and the UAE from March 20 to April 5. Nepal is placed with Hong Kong, Qatar and Malaysia while the fifth side will come via a qualifier.
Nepal will participate in a high-performance camp in the USA and West Indies in May ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup being hosted by the US and the West Indies in June.
The cricket caravan could head to the United Kingdom in June/July for a tour featuring both one-day and T20 matches. Subsequently, high-performance camps for both the men’s and women’s teams will be organized in Nepal in July/August.
Nepal will then fly to Canada to participate in the T20 tri-nation series against Canada and Oman in September. The team will then face Canada and Oman in CWC League 2 matches. Each team will play against others twice in the League 2.
Nepal is scheduled to play a T20 tri-nation series against Scotland and the US in the US. The tri-nation series will be followed by CWC League 2 matches against Scotland and the USA.
CAN has proposed to host an ODI and T20I series from December 15 to 30. The opponents, however, have to be finalized. Likewise, a three-day first-class cricket series is also on the cards in December.
How come Canada is hosting ODI and T20 cricket in December. Unless a miracle happens , weather (winter) in December, in Canada, no outdoor cricket is possible. It’s too cold and snow.