ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Asia Qualifier Final is ready to get underway in Nepal

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA journey continues, this time, Nepal welcomes Bahrain, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to her shores for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final from 30 October to 6 November 2023.

The eight participating teams will take each other on over seven days to earn one of two places in the biggest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup yet, featuring 20 teams in total.

The event promises to be a competitive affair, with all the teams confident of their chances of making it through to the main stage.

Aminul Islam, ICC Regional Development Manager – Asia said: “Asia’s cricket landscape is experiencing rapid growth in all its facets, particularly in high-performance teams. The devoted and sports-loving Nepali fans, along with enthusiasts from across Asia, are in for a thrilling event at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final.

“To the participating nations, I extend the warmest wishes from the ICC. We aim for this tournament to embody the true spirit of cricket, showcasing the sportsmanship and camaraderie that the game is celebrated for worldwide.”

Chatur Bahadur Chand, CEO of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) said: “On behalf of Cricket Association of Nepal, we would like to welcome all the participating teams to Nepal.

“We are excited and humbled to host this prestigious tournament in Nepal and would like to thank the ICC for the trust and faith shown towards us.

“With an exciting ICC pathway that lies ahead with regards to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next year and Nepal’s home cricket culture with a massive fan base and love for the game, the tournament promises to ignite the passion once again among all our Asian cricket stakeholders.

“We look forward to an exciting week of cricket.”

Bahrain Captain Umer Imtiaz said: “Reaching this final and crucial stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal is an incredible achievement for us. It has indeed been a challenging journey, but it’s filled us with immense pride and excitement. This opportunity represents the culmination of years of hard work and dedication.

“In preparation for this event, we’ve left no stone unturned. Our team has undergone rigorous training camps, focusing on every aspect of our game – batting, bowling, and fielding. We’ve also analyzed our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses to come up with a well-thought-out strategy.

“Qualifying for the next year’s Men’s T20 World Cup would be a historic moment for our team and a matter of great national pride for Bahrain. It would mean the world to us and our cricket-loving community. It would be a testament to the progress we’ve made in the sport, and it would inspire future generations of cricketers in our country.

“We’re determined to give our best and make our nation proud.”

Kuwait captain, Mohamed Aslam Mohamed Nawfer said: The road to this qualifier so far has been an incredible experience for everyone involved, especially the players. We had a few setbacks and challenges but, with the wisdom of the management and Kuwait Cricket board, we overcame them.

We are only four matches away. It feels like a dream about to come true.

The management have made major changes to the team, which proved successful. We have been training nonstop after the previous qualifier, concentrating on fitness and skills.

To qualify for T20 World Cup is everyone’s ultimate goal, we want to make our families, friends and country proud.

Hong Kong captain, Nizakat Mohammad Khan said: “We think this is going to be a very competitive event. The Asia region has very competitive teams and with only two teams qualifying, there are a number of teams who will believe that they can progress. We are excited to take part in this tournament and we have high expectations for ourselves.

“We have participated in the Tri Series held in Nepal together with UAE and Nepal. We are fortunate to have had such great preparations for this World Cup qualifier, playing against the two of the top sides in the competition.

“Qualifying for a World Cup in any format will have a big impact in Hong Kong especially as cricket is in the public eye since the announcement of cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics. For our team it’s the chance of a lifetime, and potentially playing the world cup will have tremendous impact on the profile of the sport in Hong Kong and in China.”

Malaysia captain, Ahmed Faiz Mohammad Noor said: “As captain of the Malaysia cricket men’s team, reaching the final and crucial stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualifier in Nepal is a tremendous achievement and a source of great pride for our team and our country. It has been an arduous journey filled with hard work, dedication, and countless hours of training.

“We’ve been working diligently on all aspects of our game, focusing on improving our batting, bowling, and fielding skills. Coach Bilal has played a crucial role in fine-tuning our strategies and ensuring that we are well-prepared to face our opponents.

“Qualifying for the Men’s T20 World Cup would hold immense significance for Malaysia Cricket. It’s not just a cricket tournament; it’s a chance to represent Malaysia on the global stage. Qualifying would be a moment of great pride for our players, and it would inspire young cricketers in our nation to pursue their dreams. Furthermore, it could contribute to the growth of cricket in Malaysia and unite our people in support of our team. It’s a goal we have been working towards and achieving it would be a remarkable accomplishment for us and our nation.”

Nepal captain, Rohit Kumar Puadel said: “It’s been an incredible journey for the national team over the last six months and we hope to continue this momentum. We will do our best to live up to the expectations of all our cricketing stakeholders.

“Our preparations leading up to the World Cup qualifier has been really good and we hope to emulate and keep our home records intact and keep building on our recent performances and successes.

“With dedication, determination and hunger to win, our team is ready, and we aim to qualify and play the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next year. Expectations are high and we want to do it for our fans and everyone associated with Nepal cricket.

“We hope to recreate history once again.”

Oman captain, Zeeshan Maqsood said: “We have been quite consistent in T20’s since our T20 World Cup debut in 2016. We have also featured and were proud to be hosts of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

“Coming into the final stage of the qualification for the 2024 edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup is certainly what we have been waiting for as a unit after missing out in 2022. We are quite confident with the composition and competitiveness we bring into the tournament as T20 is a format that naturally suits the player attributes we possess as a unit. We certainly are looking forward to taking on the challenge of competing in the Asia region against other top associate nations and are going in with positive hopes of claiming a berth in the T20 World Cup 2024.

“The preparation for the Asia Qualifier has been spot-on for us as a unit. We have been playing only T20 cricket for the past seven to eight weeks, starting with our domestic T20 league, claiming the Gulf Cricket T20I Championship 2023 in Qatar and competing against quality sides such as the UAE and played a successful T20 series against Afghanistan A featuring six to seven of their capped T20 international players. This allowed us to settle our combinations and pick the right lot for the Asia regional final.

“The boys are feeling fresh and fit coming into the tournament and are more than keen to create an impact as individuals and as a team in the tournament. Credit must go to our dedicated support staff, led by our head coach, Duleep Mendis and thanks to our board for all the backing and facilities provided to us to represent Oman at the global stage.

“Qualifying for the main event would be an achievement and dream come true. We have lived this dream recently qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 having played against established Test playing nations and qualifying for the Super 6 stage to compete with the giants of the game. We are certainly looking forward to repeating that feat and qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024 to experience the game at its pinnacle and make Oman’s cricket base proud.

“It also is a matter of utmost pride and prestige for us to carry the flag that has helped us carry our families and our identities to a higher level. This wouldn’t have been possible without the relentless support of our board led by H.E Pankaj Khimji as the Chair. We are motivated by what qualification would mean to us as a country and individuals and are looking forward to expressing our potential at its peak.”

Singapore captain, Aritra Dutta said: “Reaching this stage in our qualification journey validates the effort that all the players and the cricket association have put into the growth of Singapore cricket. It’s been a challenging journey due to various factors but an enjoyable one nonetheless. Whilst reaching this stage itself has been an achievement, the boys are looking to take the learnings from this journey and go a step further.

“We have maintained a low profile and gone back to the basics. We haven’t played too many T20Is this year, but our new coach, Chaminda Ruwan, has worked tirelessly to ensure that the players are able to express themselves and take ownership of their own preparations in whichever way suits them. We have focused a lot on training as a squad and building a squad mentality. Lots of internal practice matches have allowed us to identify players who we feel will add value to the squad and play a key part not just in this tournament but in many tournaments that lie ahead of us. We showed promise in the recent Asian Games but believe we are better prepared for this key tournament.

“It would be every Singaporean player’s dream come true to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Not just those in the current squad but also those who have represented the nation over the years and played a part in this journey to bring Singapore cricket to the world stage. It would also be a huge boost to the development of grassroots cricket in Singapore which has always been a challenge due to lack of grounds and facilities. So, seeing Singapore cricket at the biggest stage of it all would be a message that the sport is indeed worth investing and taking an active interest in.”

UAE captain, Muhammad Waseem, said: “We are excited at this incredible opportunity of doing well in the qualifiers and making it to our second successive ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. We have worked very hard in recent days and months and our ongoing tri-series in Nepal is excellent preparation for the qualifiers. We have a capable team, full of experienced performers and some outstanding youngsters who have already impressed all with their talent and skill.

“We have been working hard in our training sessions in Dubai in the leadup to the tri-series in Nepal. The tri-series is wonderful preparation for the qualifiers against a formidable rival like Nepal, we have played some really close and exciting matches against Nepal in recent months and we are grateful for the opportunity that we have been provided for preparation for some stiff competition like the qualifiers where we are set to play a series of high pressure games with a lot at stake in terms of our qualification for the main event. Our preparations are going in the right direction, and I am confident that UAE will deliver the goods.

“Qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World 2024 will be a huge achievement for us indeed. We had a memorable time in Australia in last year’s T20 World Cup and gained invaluable experience, playing against some of the best players from around the world. We want to continue our upward curve and prove to the world that we have what it takes.”

Participating squads:

Bahrain

Umer Iimtiaz (captain), Abdul Majid Abbasi, Imran Ali Butt, Sohail Ahmed, Haider Ali, Imran Javed Anwer, Junaid Aziz, Rizwan Butt, Ali Dawood, Ahmer Bin Naser, Sarfraz Ali, Yasser Nazeer, Sathaiyah Veerapathiran, Sachin Kumar, Sai Sarthak.

Hong Kong

Nizakat Mohammad Khan (captain), Mohammad Aizaz Khan, Babar Hayat, Ehsan Khan, Adit Gorawara, Anshuman Rath, Ayush Shukla, Raag Kapur, Yasim Murtaza, Zeeshan Ali, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Haroon Mohammad Arshad, Nasrulla Rana, Martin Coetzee, Scott Stephen Mckechnie.

Kuwait

Mohamed Aslam (captain), Ali Zaheer, Usmangani Ibrahim, Bilal, Yasin Ishak, Ravija Sandaruwan, Meet Bhavsar, Diju Sheeli , Parvindar Kumar, Mirza Ahmed, Sayed Monib, Nimish Lathief, Clinto Velookkaran Anto, Mohamed Shafeeq Manakkadavath, Ilyas Ahmed.

Malaysia

Ahmed Faiz Mohammad Noor (captain), Virandeep Singh, Syed Aziz Syed Mubarak, Vijay Unni Suresh Unni, Muhammad Amir Azim ABD Shukor, Rizwan Haider, Khizar Hayat Durrani, Ainool Hafizs MD Yatim, Pavandeep Singh Jagjit Singh, Ahmad Zubaidi Zulkifle, Syazrul Ezat Idrus, Haiqal Mohd Khair, Sharvin Muniyandy, Muhammad Aiman Zaquan Muhammad Ridzuan, Muhammad Fitri Mohd Sham.

Nepal

Rohit Kumar Paudel, Mahamad Asif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, Kusal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sndeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Gulshan Kumar Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Binod Bhandari, Bibek Kumar Yadav, Abinash Bohara.

Oman

Zeeshan Maqsood, Aaqib Ilyas Sulheri, Khashyapkumar Prajapati, Shoaib Khan, Ayaan Mohammed Khan, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Naseem, Bilal Khan, Ahmad Fayyaz Butt, Kaleemullah, Shakeel Ahmad, Mehran Khan, Prathik Athavale, Sandeep Goud Shreemantula, Siddharth Prasad Bukkapatnam.

Singapore

Aritra Dutta (captain), Rohan Rengarajan, Surendran Chandramohan, Anish Paraam, Manpreet Singh (wk), Janak Prakash, Akshay Roopak Puri, Thilip Omamdurai Thilappan, Ramesh Kalimuthu, Anantha Krishna, Utsav Rakshit, Aaryan Russell Menon, Amartya Kaul, Aryaveer Chaudhary, Harsha Bharadwaj.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Muhammad Waseem, Aryansh Sharma, Alishan Sharafu, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Asif Khan, Aayan Khan, Ali Naseer, Kharthik Meiyappan, Sanchit Sharma, Zahoor Khan, Muhammad Jawadullah, Nilansh Keswani, Khalid Shah, Vriitya Aravind.