Nepal captain Rohit Paudel won the toss and decided to bowl first against Bangladesh on Monday (June 17) in match 37 of ICC T20 World Cup 2024, being played at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent, West Indies. (Match Blog | Streaming | Scorecard)
Explaining his rationale for fielding first, Rohit Paudel said: "We'll bowl first, want to utilize the conditions. The second innings would be difficult because of dew."
He added: "It was disappointing (loss to South Africa), as a pro cricketer you need to comeback from such a situation. Looking forward to this game. A win will be very important for all in the country who have been supporting us. One change for us, (Sundeep) Jora comes in for today."
Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said: "Very excited. We played well last few games and the boys are very excited to play this game. No changes to our team."
Bangladesh are second in Group D currently with four points from three games, ahead of Netherlands who have two points from as many matches. If the Bangla Tigers win today, they will secure their Super Eight berth, though even a washout will be enough to do that. Netherlands will take on Sri Lanka in the final Group D encounter.
As for Nepal, it is all about ending their campaign on a high after the gut-wrenchingly close defeat to South Africa. Though Rohit Paudel and Co have been knocked out of the tournament, they gave a sterling account of themselves against the Proteas, and a win today will do their morale a world of good.
Playing XIs
Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Anil Sah, Rohit Paudel(C), Kushal Malla, Sundeep Jora, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Abinash Bohara.
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Litton Das (WK), Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman.
If they qualify for Super Eights, Bangladesh will meet Australia next in North Sound, Antigua on June 21.
