”If you want to play in high level competitions like the World Cup, you have to do well every time, luck doesn't always help you”
Nepal's coach Stuart Law says that he played four matches in the tri-national Twenty20 series match against the Netherlands on Monday in Glasgow. The first Twenty20 match, where both teams scored 152 runs. Next three super overs. He explains these three as three different games.
The next day, on Tuesday, the home team only got a 98-run victory target in the match against Scotland. However, Nepal had to work hard to complete it. Victory was achieved just before the last ball. Most of the matches played by Nepal throughout the Scotland tour have been decided only after reaching the last over.
"Those who are watching the game on television in Nepal will definitely not want to watch this game again, because it will cause heart attacks, not forever," coach Law said after Tuesday's game against Scotland. Since coming to Scotland, the Nepali team has got the habit of getting results by reaching the last over and the last ball. Although it has given the supporters complete entertainment, it has made it a mess.
After the match between Nepal and the Netherlands, Scotland all-rounder Mark Watt wrote in X, 'Has Nepal ever played ordinary cricket?' When Nepal chased the target of 297 runs against Scotland in the last ball in Dundee, it was spinner Watt who bowled the last over. Nepal got success in the first game in Scotland when Watt threw wide in the last ball after the score was equal.
Even though the excitement of the audience is at its peak, the Nepali team's player box seems calm now. "In the last 40 years, I have been associated with many successful teams, one thing is true that if you stay calm, you can make the right decision under pressure," said coach Law, who has previously held various roles in Bangladesh, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and the American team. He has taken the team meetings inside the room to the field.
Nepal has taken the three-nation Twenty20 tournament in Scotland as a preparation for the Asia-East Asia Pacific World Cup qualifiers to be held in Oman in October. But when the performances, especially against Scotland, were not up to par, it was natural for him to be worried. The opening batting did not go on.
He says, "If you want to play in high level competitions such as the World Cup, you have to address this issue and do better every time, but luck doesn't always support you," Scotland tour as a coach of the Nepalese team is his first competition. Nepal won 3 out of 4 matches against Scotland and Netherlands in World Cup League-2 in Dundee.
He considers the trip to Scotland 'very successful' so far. "The Nepali team didn't come here with a big objective, the players have been doing well so far," Stuart Law said, "If the players are going to play well, they should be appreciated." Cricket is a performance based game. The players have been playing exceptionally so far. In the third match of League 2 in Dundee, two key players, fast bowling all-rounders Sompal Kami and Gulshan Jha were injured, but Nepal was bowling well in the first two matches in Glasgow. Nandan Yadav, who did well in the first match against the Netherlands, was also injured. In that match, Nandan, Karan KC and Rupesh Singh handled the fast bowling front of Nepal.
But in the second match against Scotland, Rupesh was in the Nepali team but did not bowl. In that match, Karan took the first 2 wickets taking the responsibility of fast bowling, the remaining four bowlers were all spinners. Dipendra Singh Airi, Lalit Rajvanshi, Sandeep Lamichhane and Kushal Bhurtel were more effective in the role of spinners.
"England's wicket condition is very effective for seam bowlers, seam bowlers are important for the team, it shows a rhythm to the team," said Karan, "In Nepal, spinners are more important. They are also more likely to get wickets. Ball swing is good here. So I like this kind of condition and wicket. Even if you are a fast bowler, you will know how effective you are only after throwing the ball, but how to use the conditioning is in your own hands.'
Karan became the second bowler of Nepal to complete 100 wickets in Twenty20 internationals from the Scotland match. In the absence of the other three fast bowlers, the responsibility will be even greater on Karan. Before the Twenty-20 World Cup Qualifiers in Oman, the Nepali team is scheduled to go to Australia and play with the local team there. Just one week before Oman's World Cup qualifiers, Nepal will play a three-match Twenty20 series against the West Indies in Sharjah, UAE. Coach Law says that the series, which is going to be played for the first time against the entire nation, will be very important for Nepal.
'West Indies are two-time Twenty20 World Cup champions, physically they are very strong, I I have already trained them,' he says, 'Now I will look at them again.' He was the head coach of West Indies in 2018-19.
Nepal has played the Twenty20 World Cup twice before in 2014 and 2024. When Nepal returned to the Twenty20 World Cup last year after 10 years, Law was the coach of the home team USA. After defeating Pakistan in the Super Over, America reached the second stage of the Twenty20 World Cup, due to which America does not have to play the qualifying stage.
Nepal is already preparing for the Twenty-20 World Cup to be held in Oman after 3 and a half months. Stating that the World Cup qualifiers in the associate region are very competitive, Law says, "If we play calmly and understand our role, we will definitely qualify for the Twenty-20 World Cup."
