Nepal might be the last of the seven sides in the new Cricket World Cup League Two to start their campaign, but they will make up for lost time with a busy schedule of limited-overs cricket this year.
They will host their first home one-day international series, when they welcome Oman and United States to Kathmandu in February.
That is the first of four tri-series scheduled for Gyanendra Malla’s side in the league between February and the end of June, meaning they will play 16 ODIs in less than five months.
They will also bid to right the wrongs of last year in the 20-over format, when they missed out on even the chance to play for qualification for the T20 World Cup.
This year, there is the goal of a place in the Asia Cup T20, which is scheduled to be played in September, ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia a month later.
Pakistan have the hosting rights for that tournament. However, it seems unlikely India would play in a tournament in Pakistan at present, meaning a shift to the UAE is a possibility.
Schedule
February 5-12: Cricket World Cup League Two, Kathmandu. Nepal, United States, Oman
February 29-March 6: Eastern Region, Asia Cup Qualifier, Thailand
The top two teams from the eight-team competition qualify for the Asia Cup Qualifier in Malaysia in August
April 20-27: Cricket World Cup League Two, Windhoek. Namibia, Nepal, Scotland
June 9-16: Cricket World Cup League Two, Port Morseby. Papua New Guinea, UAE, Nepal
June: Cricket World Cup League Two, Scotland. Scotland, Nepal, Namibia
August: Asia Cup T20 Qualifier, Kuala Lumpur
The winners of the four-team T20 tournament will qualify to play at the Asia Cup T20
September: Asia Cup T20, Pakistan
The qualifiers from the tournament in Malaysia in August will be pitched into a competition involving Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
