World Cup hopes and ODI status are on the line as CWC League 2 enters the home stretch. Nepal hosts Namibia and Scotland in Kathmandu for the penultimate trilateral series of the ICC's second-tier ODI competition. After a two-month break, the league's final three trilateral series (and two catch-up matches between the United Arab Emirates and Namibia later this month) will see the final 20 matches of the ICC's second-highest ODI competition played in just five weeks.
Nepal host two of these series, but are currently twenty points off a top three finish, leaving them with little chance of qualifying for the World Cup. The first goal is to overtake the United Arab Emirates and the USA to secure ODI status for another round. League leaders Scotland will be looking to secure the title in the final series, while third-placed Namibia will be looking to widen the gap on the United Arab Emirates, who are currently sixth, ten points behind, but with four games to go.
One step below the CWC Super League is CWC League 2, the successor to the World Cricket League Championship and the highest level of the 50-over Associate competition, in which seven of the eight Associates with ODI status participate (the Netherlands, as WCL champions, currently play in the Super League). Trilateral series are the name of the game - each team plays three series at home and six abroad, with each opponent playing two games per series, for a total of 36 ODIs per team. The competition, which begins in August 2019, was supposed to be completed last year, but the Covid pandemic threw the schedule into significant disarray. As a result, some teams still have a significant number of games to play, while others, such as Oman and the U.S., have already completed all of their matches. Nonetheless, it is likely that all matches will be played, meaning that each team will play every other team a total of six times before the cycle ends next month.
What's at stake
The top three teams will automatically participate in World Cup qualifying. With Scotland already assured of a medal spot and both Papua New Guinea and the U.S. out of the running, the next four weeks will determine which of the remaining four teams will join the Scots on the podium. Oman currently sits in second place with 44 points, but could still be caught by Namibia and the United Arab Emirates if results go against them. The four last-place teams will join Challenge League champion Canada and Jersey in the qualifying playoffs in Windhoek at the end of March to fight for the final two spots for the WC qualifying round. Should there be no drastic changes to the current structure of international 50-over cricket outside the top tier, Canada and Jersey will also have the opportunity to earn ODI status in Windhoek for the coming cycle and potentially earn a place in the next edition of League 2 (or its replacement).
Conversely, the two teams that finish 6th and last in League 2 risk losing their place in the associated top flight as well as ODI status if they finish behind Canada or Jersey in the qualifying playoff. For PNG, finishing in the top five is already impossible, putting their playoff status in jeopardy. Three other teams are still in danger of ending up in the same situation: The U.S. is currently in fifth place with 35 points, but has played all of its matches, so both Nepal and the United Arab Emirates could still overtake it.
The teams
Hosts Nepal, who have won only 8 of their 24 matches, cannot afford to lose even one of their 12 remaining games if they are to have any hope of finishing in the top three. To finish in the top five would probably require 9 wins from 12 games. With two home games left to play but a considerable deficit to make up, the tough schedule offers new coach Monty Desai an opportunity to prepare for the World Cup qualifying playoff, making the inclusion of former captain Sandeep Lamichhane as tactically questionable as it is controversial.
Lamichhane is currently on bail pending trial for rape, and his selection has sparked considerable controversy in the country. Under the circumstances, he is unlikely to be able to travel to either Nepal's remaining away matches or the play-offs. However, the leg-spinner remains Nepal's leading wicket-taker in the league and will undoubtedly be an asset to young captain Rohit Paudel as the hosts attempt to end their six-match winning streak in this competition. Nepal's biggest strength is their numerous spin options and the experienced seam pair of Sompal Kami and Karan KC, who also add a degree of depth to their unreliable batting lineup. Paudel himself leads his side's scoring charts and will need more support from his talented but fall-prone batsmen if Nepal's hopes of securing their ODI status ahead of the play-offs are to survive the week.
Scotland, on the other hand, can approach the final series with a comparatively carefree attitude, as they are currently top of the table and have already secured a place in the World Cup qualifiers. A win or two in this series could secure Scotland the League 2 title, although the promised chance of promotion to Super League for the League 2 champions has been rendered moot by the abolition of Super League, so the title is just a matter of honour.
Outgoing coach Shane Burger has taken the opportunity to bring in some young faces. Batsman Jack Jarvis, all-rounder Liam Naylor and wicketkeeper Tomas Mackintosh are all potential graduates from the Under-19 side, while Christopher McBride impressed in the last series when he came in to replace the retiring Calum MacLeod. Captain Richie Berrington, his deputy Matt Cross and his predecessor Kyle Coetzer are experienced batsmen, while left-armers Mark Watt and Hamza Tahir should be eager for the conditions. Although Scotland are now in a transitional phase with little at stake in this series, they will be keen to win the trophy in Kathmandu and not have to wait for later results.
For Namibia, on the other hand, the stakes are high. Associate Player of the Year Gerhard Erasmus's side, currently in a podium spot but being chased by the United Arab Emirates, could finish in the top three with a win in Kathmandu and possibly even challenge for the title. However, a poor series could put them under a lot of pressure when they travel on to Dubai later this month to play two catch-up games against the fourth-placed Emiratis, who had previously played a Covid-influenced series.
Namibia will be without two key all-rounders for this series: David Wiese is absent due to franchise commitments and JJ Smit is also out for the tour. In their place, Shaun Fouche and Joshuan Julius have been added to the squad. In the absence of Smit and Wiese, Namibia will have to rely on its captain to score runs. Above all, the top of the team is yet to be consolidated. Namibia has yet to find a solid opening pair or replacement for the experienced Craig Williams, so much will depend on Erasmus and Loftie-Eaton in the middle order or Pikky Ya France as a backstop or finisher.
Ya France is an excellent utility player who has adapted well to his new role in the second row and pitched several crucial innings in the recent home series. He and Erasmus will likely handle off-spin duties as well, complementing Bernhard Scholtz's left-arm spin. Although Namibia is fairly well set, the rather ad hoc team will need to get off to a good start if they hope to watch the playoffs from the sidelines instead of being on the field themselves next month in Windhoek.
The pitch at the TU Ground in Kirtipur has been comparatively hitter-friendly of late, but it is expected to return to normal as the series progresses, with spin likely to dominate in the later games. The weather is expected to be good with little or no rain, although it will still be cool in the morning.
Rohit Kumar Paudel(c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Bhurtel, Gyanendra Malla, Kushal Malla, Bhim Sharki, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Surya Tamang
Richie Berrington (c), Matthew Cross, Kyle Coetzer, Christopher McBride, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Jack Jarvis, Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Tomas Mackintosh, Chris Greaves, Liam Naylor, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Hamza Tahir
Gerhard Erasmus (c), Lo-handre Louwrens, Michael van Lingen, Karl Birkenstock, Shaun Fouche, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green, Joshuan Julius, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Pikky Ya France, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, Tangeni Lungameni, Ben Shikongo.
Outgoing coach Shane Burger has taken the opportunity to bring in some young faces. Batsman Jack Jarvis, all-rounder Liam Naylor and wicketkeeper Tomas Mackintosh are all potential graduates from the Under-19 side, while Christopher McBride impressed in the last series when he came in to replace the retiring Calum MacLeod. Captain Richie Berrington, his deputy Matt Cross and his predecessor Kyle Coetzer are experienced batsmen, while left-armers Mark Watt and Hamza Tahir should be eager for the conditions. Although Scotland are now in a transitional phase with little at stake in this series, they will be keen to win the trophy in Kathmandu and not have to wait for later results.
For Namibia, on the other hand, the stakes are high. Associate Player of the Year Gerhard Erasmus's side, currently in a podium spot but being chased by the United Arab Emirates, could finish in the top three with a win in Kathmandu and possibly even challenge for the title. However, a poor series could put them under a lot of pressure when they travel on to Dubai later this month to play two catch-up games against the fourth-placed Emiratis, who had previously played a Covid-influenced series.
Namibia will be without two key all-rounders for this series: David Wiese is absent due to franchise commitments and JJ Smit is also out for the tour. In their place, Shaun Fouche and Joshuan Julius have been added to the squad. In the absence of Smit and Wiese, Namibia will have to rely on its captain to score runs. Above all, the top of the team is yet to be consolidated. Namibia has yet to find a solid opening pair or replacement for the experienced Craig Williams, so much will depend on Erasmus and Loftie-Eaton in the middle order or Pikky Ya France as a backstop or finisher.
Ya France is an excellent utility player who has adapted well to his new role in the second row and pitched several crucial innings in the recent home series. He and Erasmus will likely handle off-spin duties as well, complementing Bernhard Scholtz's left-arm spin. Although Namibia is fairly well set, the rather ad hoc team will need to get off to a good start if they hope to watch the playoffs from the sidelines instead of being on the field themselves next month in Windhoek.
What to expect
The pitch at the TU Ground in Kirtipur has been comparatively hitter-friendly of late, but it is expected to return to normal as the series progresses, with spin likely to dominate in the later games. The weather is expected to be good with little or no rain, although it will still be cool in the morning.
Squad
Rohit Kumar Paudel(c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Bhurtel, Gyanendra Malla, Kushal Malla, Bhim Sharki, Aasif Sheikh, Sundeep Jora, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Surya Tamang
Richie Berrington (c), Matthew Cross, Kyle Coetzer, Christopher McBride, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Jack Jarvis, Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Tomas Mackintosh, Chris Greaves, Liam Naylor, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Hamza Tahir
Gerhard Erasmus (c), Lo-handre Louwrens, Michael van Lingen, Karl Birkenstock, Shaun Fouche, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green, Joshuan Julius, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Pikky Ya France, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, Tangeni Lungameni, Ben Shikongo.
Schedule:
14 February, 09:00 local, 08:45 IST - Nepal vs Namibia - Tribhuvan University Ground
15 February, 09:00 local, 08:45 IST - Namibia vs Scotland - Tribhuvan University Ground
17 February, 09:00 local, 08:45 IST - Nepal vs Scotland - Tribhuvan University Ground
18 February, 09:00 local, 08:45 IST - Nepal vs Namibia - Tribhuvan University Ground
19 February, 09:00 local, 08:45 IST - Namibia vs Scotland - Tribhuvan University Ground
21 February, 09:00 local, 08:45 IST - Nepal vs Scotland - Tribhuvan University Ground
