Nepal cricket captain Rohit Paudel has expressed optimism about his team's future in international cricket after winning the ACC Premier Cup, which helped them qualify for the Asia Cup 2023. Nepal secured their place in this year's Asia Cup by defeating the UAE in the final on Tuesday. They are scheduled to face India and Pakistan in the group stage of the tournament.
Paudel believes that the ACC Premier Cup win is just the start of Nepal's push in international cricket. "As a team, this is the beginning for us. We have just started, so there are many more (successes) to come, I think. I feel very lucky that I've got an amazing team," he said.
Nepal's win over the UAE in the final was a closely contested affair, with the hosts eventually winning by seven wickets thanks to a 96-run stand between Gulshan Jha (67 not out) and Bhim Sharki (36 not out). The match was postponed by a day due to rain in Kathmandu.
Paudel praised the thousands of fans who braved the weather across both days, with some arranging ad hoc accommodation to stay another night in the capital. "They have been here for so long, and they're still here. Yesterday also in the rain they were standing for us. So the biggest thanks goes to them," Paudel said.
Nepal made a big call in their tricky chase by pushing Jha up to No.3, with the left-hander used to counteract the spin threat posed by fellow 17-year-old phenom Aayan Khan. Stumbling to 22/3, not only did Jha glue together the innings with Sharki, he then countered, hitting a swath of boundaries down