4 talking points from World Cup qualifiers

#3 Nepal turn over a new leaf in its cricketing history

Nepal look forward to a bright future in international cricket

If Afghanistan's ascent to the top was well-documented, that of Nepal was pretty impressive too. And that culminated with an ODI status for the smallest country in the qualifiers.

Languishing in the sixth tier of world cricket as recently as 2010, the Rhinos have been on the upswing since the turn of the decade - winning 2010 division five; 2012 division three and 2013 division two - and it all came to a full circle here when they became the 13th team to claim an official ODI status. The watershed moment arrived when they beat Papua New Guinea to seal the 8th position in the qualifiers and be bestowed with ODI recognition subsequently.

Nepal's upward trajectory is as impressive and inspiring as it gets, and the ODI status marks the harbinger of a new chapter in a small nation, albeit one with big dreams.