ICC Cricket World Cup League 2: Nepal face Scotland in League 2 opener
Nepal opening their campaign against Scotland at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur from 9:30 am.
KATHMANDU: The ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series featuring Nepal, United States and Scotland begins Tuesday, with hosts Nepal opening their campaign against Scotland at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur from 9:30 am.
Nepal head into the series with strong momentum after winning three of four matches in the previous home tri-series against UAE and Oman. They defeated UAE twice and bounced back from a heavy DLS loss to Oman with an 81-run victory in the return fixture.
Confidence has also grown after Nepal A completed a clean sweep over both the USA and Scotland in a recent tri-series.
A major boost for Nepal is the return of Dr. Ishan Pandey, who has earned a national team recall after seven years, replacing Basir Ahmad. Pandey was previously included in Nepal’s squad for the 2019 T20 series against Zimbabwe in Singapore.
The Nepali squad includes captain Rohit Paudel, vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Bhurtel, Aarif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, Aasif Sheikh, Ishan Pandey, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Binod Bhandari, Nandan Yadav, Arjun Kumal and Karan KC.
Nepal have enjoyed mixed results against both opponents in recent League 2 campaigns. They split matches against Scotland in June 2025 and earlier defeated them once in Dallas after another match ended without result. However, Nepal have struggled against the USA, losing all four previous League 2 meetings across the 2024 and 2025 series.
In the current standings, the USA lead the table with 36 points from 24 matches, while Scotland sit second with 34 points from 28 games. Nepal are seventh with 18 points from 24 matches after registering eight wins and 14 defeats.
