The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has officially announced the closed-camp squad for the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 series. The 20-man roster features a strong core of national regulars alongside several standout performers from the recent Jay Trophy.
The selection reflects the statistical data from the domestic tournament, rewarding players who dominated the leaderboards.
Jay Trophy Stat Leaders Headline the Squad
Ishan Pandey earned his selection as the tournament's leading run-scorer. Representing Bagmati Province (BP), Pandey amassed 331 runs in 6 innings with a strike rate of 69.25, including two scores in the 80s.
The bowling unit is led by Lalit Rajbanshi, who topped the Wickets chart for Nepal Police Club (NPC). Rajbanshi claimed 20 wickets across 6 innings at an economy of 3.27 and an average of 19.85. He is joined by Shahab Alam (Tribhuvan Army Club), who finished with 8 wickets and a tournament-best economy rate of 2.65 among the top ten wicket-takers.
Key Statistical Highlights from the Squad:
- Bhim Sharki (TAC): Recorded the highest individual score of the tournament (105 off 113 balls) and finished with 195 total runs.
- Bashir Ahamad (TAC): One of the tournament's top all-rounders, scoring a century (101) and taking 9 wickets at a low average of 14.44.
- Rohit Paudel (APF): The captain finished as the second-highest run-scorer (279 runs) and also contributed 9 wickets with the ball.
- Sandeep Lamichhane (BP): Secured 10 wickets in just 4 innings, maintaining a strike rate that kept him in the top five wicket-takers.
League 2 Preparation
The squad combines these high-performing domestic players with experienced internationals including Sompal Kami, Karan KC, and Dipendra Singh Airee. The pace battery also includes Aakash Chand and Hemant Dhami, while Arjun Saud and Aasif Sheikh provide the primary wicket-keeping options.
Official Closed-camp Squad:
Rohit Paudel (C), Sompal Kami, Lalit Rajbanshi, Dipendra Singh Airee (VC),Karan KC,Shahab Alam, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nandan Yadav, Sher Malla
Kushal Bhurtel, Rijan Dhakal, Ishan Pandey, Aasif Sheikh, Arjun Saud, Aakash Chand, Bhim Sharki, Aarif Sheikh, Hemant Dhami, Bashir Ahamad, Gulshan Jha.
