Nepal gain ODI status

Nepal

have

become the 17th team to be granted ODI status by the ICC

What's the story?

Nepal have become the latest Associate nation to be granted official ODI status by the ICC. With their entrance into the international fold, they have become the 17th team who would be playing ODI cricket following Afghanistan and Ireland in the queue.

In case you didn't know..

Nepal are currently competing in the ongoing ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe which featured nine other teams. However, they ended up fourth in Group B with Zimbabwe, Scotland and Afghanistan progressing to the Super Six stage of the qualifiers, with the fifth team being Hong Kong.

In Group A, the three teams to have entered the next stage were West Indies, Ireland and UAE with Netherlands and Papua New Guinea failing to qualify.

The heart of the matter

As a result, the four eliminated teams from the group stages played in the play-offs. For Nepal to have gained ODI status, two scenarios must have fallen in their favour – Netherlands to beat Hong Kong and Nepal themselves emerge victorious against Papua New Guinea – and fortunately, both results went Nepal's way.

Nepal beat Papua New Guinea by 6 wickets in a run chase of 115 while Hong Kong failed to chase 175 against Netherlands, thus helping Nepal gain ODI status.

What's next?

The play-offs of the World Cup Qualifiers continue until March 27, when the 9th place Play-off takes place at Harare, with the 7th place Play-off due for March 26 at Kwekwe.

Author's Take

Only last year in 2017, Afghanistan and Ireland were granted Test match status by the ICC, making them the 11th and 12th babies of the format; and 2018 sees the promotion of Nepal to ODI cricket, both massive achievements for young, inexperienced sides lacking the exposure prevalent in other more established countries. These rewards will go a long way for other Associate teams to draw inspiration and deliver more serious performances on the field.