Nepal has announced a preliminary squad of 22 players set to participate in a closed training camp in preparation for next month's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series against Canada and Oman.
The squad selection features no major surprises, with most players from the recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup and the earlier League 2 tri-series retained for this important tournament.
Notably absent from the squad are left-arm quick Pratis GC and all-rounder Abinash Bohara, who were part of the team that travelled to the USA and Caribbean for June's T20 World Cup. Pawan Sarraf is also out due to injury after participating in Nepal's League 2 campaign earlier this year. This opens up a spot for all-rounder Basir Ahamad, who has impressed with recent performances for Nepal A. Additionally, left-arm pacer Rijan Dhakal, seamer Kamal Singh Airee, and young quick Aakash Chand are in contention for the tri-series.
Nepal currently holds sixth place in the League 2 standings with one win from four matches played against Namibia and the Netherlands at the start of the year. Canada is a leading team in League 2, having achieved an unbeaten run with four victories earlier this year, while Oman sits in fifth place with four matches played.
Preliminary Nepal Squad:
- Rohit Paudel (c)
- Kushal Bhurtel
- Aasif Sheikh
- Anil Sah
- Dev Khanal
- Bhim Sarki
- Aarif Sheikh
- Kushal Malla
- Dipendra Singh Airee
- Arjun Saud
- Sompal Kami
- Karan KC
- Gulsan Jha
- Kamal Singh Airee
- Rijan Dhakal
- Sandeep Lamichhane
- Lalit Rajbanshi
- Surya Tamang
- Basir Ahamad
- Aakash Chand
- Sagar Dhakal
- Sandeep Jora