Nepali openers largely failed to give a solid opening to the innings. Nepal´s average opening partnership in six matches of the event stands at lowly 22.6 runs. [break]
Nepali opener Subash Khakurel and Anil Mandal shared a 49-run partnership against Kuwait. In the third place play-off, Nepal changed the opening pair but could not get the expected start. Coach Dassanayake dropped Mandal and sent Pradeep Airee pairing Khakurel against Oman. The pair shared a 38-run partnership, which became the second best opening stand.
In the first match of the ACC T20, Nepali openers added just two runs. Khakurel was the first batsman to be removed from the crease. Nepal had a 19-run partnership in the second match before Mandal returned to the pavilion.
The match against Kuwait brought some good news for openers as they shared a 49-run partnership, which was the highest partnership of the match. Opener Khakurel scored 40 runs, which is his highest score in the tournament.
Nepali openers shared 18-run partnership against Saudi Arabia. Khakurel was sent cheaply but Mandal stayed on in the crease. Mandal scored 35 runs off 44 balls. This was his personal best in the tournament. Nepali openers shared a 10-run opening partnership against Afghanistan.
Nepal changed the opening pair in the last match. Airee took over from Mandal and the switch was not very successful. The opening pair shared a 38-run partnership.
Coach Dassanayake preferred Khakurel ahead of wicketkeeper Mahesh Chhetri for his batting abilities. Both wicketkeepers are openers and immediately after their return from Maldives where Nepal played in SAARC Twenty20 Cup, the Sri Lankan coach had asked for a replacement keeper who could bat better in the T20 format.
The problem with opening batsmen is a perennial one for the team. Prior to this, Nepal competed in the Asian Games held in China on 2010 where the openers failed to perform well. Nepali coach Roy Luke Dias tried with three different openers during the tournament.
In the first match against Hong Kong, Binod Bhandari patnered Mandal and Nepal lost its first wicket for just three runs on board. In the match against Maldives, Gyanendra Malla paired with Mandal. The pair scored 15 runs.
In the last match of the tournament, Chhetri and Mandal opened batting. The pair failed to give a good start for the team as they lost first wicket without scoring a run.
Coach Dassanayake said he would continue searching for new openers. He may come up with new openers for the Global Qualifiers for the World Twenty20 to be held in UAE in March, 2012. The team has three months to prepare for the qualifiers.
“There are limited batsmen for the new format of the game and I am searching for the perfect opener who can bat in this pattern of the game,” Dassanayake said.
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