KATHMANDU - Nepal have dropped one place to 18th in the latest ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings after three straight defeats in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in the Netherlands.
Nepal entered the Utrecht leg placed 17th, but defeats against Namibia, Netherlands and Namibia again saw them lose rating points. Namibia, who beat Nepal twice in the series, moved above them to 17th.
The latest rankings place Nepal on 795 points from 30 ODIs with a rating of 27. Namibia are now 17th with 527 points from 19 matches and a rating of 28.
Nepal's latest defeat was a three-run loss against Namibia on Monday, despite Karan KC’s career-best 5/29 and his milestone of becoming the first Nepal pacer to take 100 ODI wickets. Earlier in the series, Nepal were bowled out for 157 in back-to-back defeats against Namibia and the Netherlands.
The drop marks another setback for Nepal, who had climbed as high as 14th in the ODI rankings in 2023. Since then, Nepal have largely stayed between 15th and 17th, but their recent run in League 2 has pushed them down to 18th.
The ranking slide also reflects Nepal’s wider League 2 pressure. Nepal are now outside the top-four race with only a handful of matches left in the cycle, and their remaining fixtures have become crucial both for qualification hopes and for rebuilding ODI ranking points.
Nepal will have another chance to respond in the remaining match of the Netherlands tri-series. A win would not only help their League 2 campaign but also provide some relief in the ODI rankings after a difficult run in Utrecht.
