Nepal captain Rohit Paudel won the toss and decided to bowl first against South Africa in match 31 of ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday (June 15). The game is being played at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown, St Vincent, West Indies. (Match Blog | Streaming | Scorecard)
The big news is that Nepal's star spinner and former skipper Sandeep Lamichhane has been included in the playing XI. The leg-break bowler was denied a visa to the United States, but landed in the Caribbean and has found his way into the side in their first outing in the West Indies.
Nepal must win this game, if they are to keep their Super 8 qualification hopes alive. Rohit Paudel's team have just one point from two games so far, with one loss (to Netherlands) and a washed out game (with Sri Lanka).
South Africa, on the other hand, have already qualified for the next round of the competition on the back of three consecutive wins, and are eyeing a perfect four-on-four record in the group stage.
Playing XIs
Nepal: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
South Africa: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Anil Sah, Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Abinash Bohara.
Nepal will next face Bangladesh in Kingstown on June 16, and South Africa will head to the Super 8 stage as the game against Nepal is their last group-stage match.
