UAE to play three-match ODI series in Nepal this month

Games will be played in Kathmandu from November 14

UAE and Nepal will clash in a three-match ODI series in Kathmandu this month. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The Emirates Cricket Board on Thursday announced that the UAE team will travel to Nepal this month to take part in a three-match ODI series.

The series will be played at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kathmandu. The first clash will take place on November 14, followed by matches on November 16 and 18. All games will commence at 9am local time (7am UAE).

Mubashshir Usmani, general secretary of ECB, said: “Emirates Cricket expresses our appreciation to the Cricket Association of Nepal for hosting this ODI series and we are delighted to participate in what we expect will be thoroughly enjoyable, and compelling matches. Our sides sit close on the ICC ODI table (UAE are ranked 16th and Nepal 19th) so the hunger to climb these rankings, and further establish ourselves as a competitive ODI side is strong.”

Prashant Bikram Malla, secretary, Cricket Association of Nepal, said: “We are delighted to host the UAE v Nepal ODI series 2022 and we are very pleased Emirates Cricket accepted our invitation to join us at TU Cricket Ground, Kathmandu. With the UAE fresh from their T20 World Cup campaign, we believe our sides are perfectly suited to challenge each other and raise the bar as we move into the next phase of the ICC Associates playing-calendar.”

The UAE gave a good account of themselves during the first round of the T20 World Cup in Australia. They fought valiantly against the Netherlands before losing by three wickets with one ball remaining. They then lost to Sri Lanka before registering a memorable win over Namibia.

UAE's T20 World Cup campaign will also be remembered for the hat-trick that Karthik Meiyappan took against Sri Lanka. The young leg-spinner took the fifth hat-trick in the tournament's history in Geelong, dismissing Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka in successive deliveries.