KATHMANDU: Nepal Women’s 69-run defeat against Hong Kong, China has put the spotlight back on the team’s batting progress under head coach Harshal Pathak.
Nepal restricted Hong Kong to 109/3 in the ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup on Saturday. But the chase collapsed inside the powerplay, with Nepal slipping to 3/3 and 7/4 before being bowled out for 40 in 13.3 overs.
The result was not an isolated batting failure. Since Pathak took charge, Nepal Women have shown clear bowling discipline, but batting consistency has remained a major issue in pressure matches.
Pathak was appointed Nepal Women’s head coach on December 16, 2025. CAN brought him in as the team’s first full-time foreign head coach, with a wider role in Nepal women’s cricket development.
Another day, another painful story for Nepal Women’s cricket.
After restricting Hong Kong 🇭🇰 to just 103, Nepal were bundled out for only 40 runs — a collapse that is hard to accept at this level.
Unacceptable?#NepalWomen #NepalCricket #HKvNEP #Cricket pic.twitter.com/ygyArj0eWD
— cricnepal.com 🇳🇵 🦏 (@cricnepal) June 6, 2026
He arrived with a strong Associate cricket profile. Pathak had helped Thailand Women qualify for the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and was seen as a coach who could bring structure, discipline and a clearer T20 model to Nepal.
His early message in Nepal was built around fearless cricket, self-reliant decision-making, stronger batting consistency and better pressure management.
The results have been mixed. Nepal have played 21 T20Is under Pathak so far, winning 12 and losing nine.
Nepal won five of eight matches in the ICC Women’s T20I Challenge Trophy in Rwanda. They also beat Malaysia 2-0 in a bilateral series and opened the Asian Games Women’s Qualifier with two wins.
But the bigger tests have exposed the same weakness. Nepal won only one of four matches in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier at home. They later missed out on Asian Games qualification after defeats against Malaysia and China.
The latest defeat against Hong Kong again showed the gap between Nepal’s bowling strength and batting reliability.
Last 10 #T20I Results for Nepal Women's cricket team
Last 10 record: 7 wins, 3 losses
Last 5 record: 2 wins, 3 lossesRead the full article 👉️ https://t.co/sGajI1u2AA pic.twitter.com/dx4QFkOG9s
— cricnepal.com 🇳🇵 🦏 (@cricnepal) June 6, 2026
In Nepal’s last 10 T20Is, opponents have not crossed 130 once. Nepal’s bowlers have defended or controlled games regularly, with Rubina Chhetry, Riya Sharma, Kabita Kunwar, Manisha Upadhayay and Sita Rana Magar providing steady spells.
But the batting numbers tell a different story. Nepal have recently made 40 against Hong Kong, 50/5 against China, 71/8 against Malaysia and 75 all out against Vanuatu.
The top order has struggled most when early wickets fall. Against Hong Kong, Bindu Rawal, Samjhana Khadka and Puja Mahato were all dismissed inside the first three overs. Nepal never recovered.
Pathak’s rebuild has therefore reached an important stage. The team has enough bowling control to stay in matches, but the batting unit still needs a repeatable method under pressure.
Nepal’s next step under Pathak will depend on whether the batting group can turn starts into stable chases and avoid collapses in knockout or qualification games.
