Nepal is drawn along with Qatar, Afghanistan and Iran in Group D for upcoming ACC U-15 Asia Cup cricket tournament that features no teams from Test-playing nations, according to Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).
Nepal will play Qatar in the opening tie on April 11 at the Abu Dhabi Sk Zayed Stadium, the base for Group D, in the 16-nation tournament. In earlier two editions, the event featured four Test-playing nations from the second round. Nepal’s other matches are on April 14 against Afghanistan, on April 17 against Iran.
Top two teams from each group qualify for the quarterfinals. This year’s quarterfinalists will be playing the U-15 Asia Cup next edition while the eight nations that fails to enter stage will compete in the U-15 Plate Championship, according to CAN.
Group A of the event consists United Arab Emirates (UAE), Maldives, Malaysia and Brunei while Group B consists of Oman, Bahrain, Bhutan and Hong Kong. Kuwait, Singapore, Thailand and Saudi Arabia are in Group C. Group D’s quarterfinalists will compete against Group B’s quarterfinalists.
All the quarterfinals are scheduled for April 19 while the semifinals will be played on April 20. The final will be on April 22. CAN has already selected 18 probables for the tournament who will undergo closed-camp training in Birgunj from March 13.
Nepal has a splendid records in the U-15 Asia Cup. In 2002 in UAE, Nepal reached the semifinal defeating six nations, including Bangladesh on the course. In semifinal, Nepal lost to the eventual winner Pakistan by 27 runs. In 2000 in Malaysia, Nepal didn’t participate.