Nepal are leading Group B after winning the first two matches but cannot breathe a sigh of relief yet despite having an advantage. All the teams of the group have chances of advancing into the semifinals so far. Therefore, all eyes will be set on Nepal on Thursday. [break]
If Nepal win the match, they will advance into the semifinals from Group B with all wins. Nepal have good chances of making it to the last four as they earlier defeated Hong Kong by six wickets in the first match and Kuwait by 101 runs in the second.
Among the other teams of the group, Hong Kong and Bahrain have registered a win and a defeat each. Kuwait, after losing both matches, have only mathematical chance of advancing into the next round.
If Nepal lose to Bahrain, Kuwait will be the first team to be out of the tournament. If Hong Kong and Bahrain win their respective matches, both the teams will have equal points as that of Nepal and the top two teams will be decided by net run rate.
On the other hand, if Nepal and Hong Kong register victories, then both the teams will qualify for the semifinals. The other possible scenario is Nepal and Kuwait winning their respective matches. In that case, the second team after Nepal will be decided by net run rate.
Despite winning the first two matches with ease, Nepal´s Sri Lankan coach Roy Luke Dias believes that there needs to be a lot of improvement in Nepal´s performance as tough matches are ahead. If Nepal perform well, advancing into the semifinals will only be a formality.
Thursday´s matches
Singapore Vs Thailand @ TU Cricket Grounds
Malaysia Vs Saudi Arabia @ Pulchowk Engineering Campus
Nepal Vs Bahrain @ BSAM Grounds
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