Nepal will have a huge boost with the ace spinner Sandeep Lamichhane's inclusion in the squad ahead of the important group-stage match against South Africa on Saturday. (Streaming | Full Coverage)
The Rohit Paudel-led Nepal side's last match against Sri Lanka was washed out and both teams have to share one point each. Earlier, they lost their opening game against the Netherlands by six wickets.
Lamichhane was denied the US visa multiple times, that's why he was not part of the Nepal squad that went to the USA to play their first two group-stage fixtures. Now, the remaining two fixtures are in the West Indies and the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has given a green signal to Lamichhane after ICC's approval.
Nepal has a strong case against South Africa. The Proteas side has not performed up to their usual standard in the tournament so far, and Nepal's deep batting lineup could pose a significant challenge to South Africa, which has already qualified for the Super Eight stage.
Nepal vs South Africa: Head To Head Record
Nepal and South Africa have not faced each other ever before in the T20 international match. Both teams have a great opportunity to lead the head-to-head record in T20Is when they meet on Saturday.
Nepal vs South Africa: Highest Wicket-Takers
Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane has picked the most T20I wickets (98) for Nepal in 51 matches and he will be available for selection on Saturday. For South Africa, Tabraiz Shamsi has taken 78 wickets in 65 matches.
Nepal vs South Africa: Top Scorers
Quinton De Kock has scored 2379 runs in 86 T20I games and is leading the run-scoring charts for SA, while it is the experienced Dipendra Singh Airee for Nepal with 1627 runs in 65 games.
Nepal vs South Africa: Best Bowling Figures
Anrich Nortje picked up four wickets giving away just seven runs against Sri Lanka in New York on June 3, 2024, which is the best bowling performance for South Africa in the shortest format of the game. For Nepal, it is Abinash Bohara with 11/6 in 3.4 overs against Maldives in October 2023.
Nepal vs South Africa Squads:
Nepal: Rohit Paudel (c), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Sandeep Lamichhane, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal and Kamal Singh Airee.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi and Tristan Stubbs.
