Tim Wigmore argues that cricket is doing itself a disservice by failing to cover games between emerging nations
This was not just about losing another 50-over international cricket match. With defeat, Nepal would miss out on reaching the World Cup qualifiers. Their future fixtures would be thrown into doubt. So would the contracts that the players received. Their players were not just playing for their own futures; they were playing for Nepal’s cricketing future, too.
It was the same for their opponents Canada, who needed to win to have a chance of reaching their fifth World Cup.
Somehow, the miracle happened. The last pair – No.10 Karan KC, who had scored 12 runs in his eight previous List A innings; and No.11 Sandeep Lamichhane, who has an IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils for his leg-spin but had scored a total of four runs in his List A career – got the equation down to eight from the final over, with Karan belligerent, and Lamichhane dealing only in blocks and singles.
The first four balls of the 50th over were fine yorkers that produced dot balls. Needing eight from two balls, Karan crashed a six over extra cover. Now, Nepal needed two from the last ball to tie, which would be enough to go through. A tie would also be enough for Canada to qualify instead of the UAE.
This story is from the February 16,2018 edition of The Cricket Paper.
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This story is from the February 16,2018 edition of The Cricket Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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