Nepal currently stands second in the points table with 12 points from eight games while the USA is in the fifth place with eight points. Nepal has already qualified for the U-19 World Cup while USA has not qualified yet. [break]
Nepal has played in six editions of the U-19 World Cup and has maintained a good record. Nepal´s major setback was the failure to qualify for last year´s World Cup after crashing out from the semifinal of ACC Elite Cup.
USA´s match against Nepal will be crucial as the Americans have to win the match in order to qualify for the World Cup. USA has so far lost the matches against Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Scotland and Canada and defeated Afghanistan, Kenya, Vanuatu and Namibia. On the other hand, Nepal lost only two matches--one against Scotland and the other against Canada in the qualifiers while it registered victory over Afghanistan, Kenya, Vanuatu, Namibia, Ireland and Papua New Guinea.
Despite a good show, Nepal lost the chance to top the points table as Scotland defeated Kenya by 15 runs on Sunday and has an edge over Nepal with just one defeat. Scotland´s last match is against a weaker team Vanuatu. Nepal will get a chance to finish second if it defeats USA.
Nepali coach Jagat Tamata said that Nepal will play its last match to earn two points. “Almost all the players have accrued small injuries with Subash Khakurel receiving a major one,” said Tamata. The coach said Khakurel, who suffered a hamstring injury during Nepal´s second match in the qualifiers, has very little chance of playing against the USA.
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