For the hosts, the UAE, the tournament has been nothing short of a nightmare. They languish at the bottom of the League 2 standings with just eight points — a meagre return from four wins in 20 outings. Their recent collapse against the USA, where they folded for just 49 chasing 293, exposed the cracks in their batting once again. Early dismissals of key batters Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu left the lineup in disarray, with only young Aryansh Sharma showing any real resistance. His sparkling 98 against Nepal last week remains one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy campaign.
Nepal, on the other hand, are also fighting their own slump. Three consecutive defeats, including a five-wicket loss to the UAE in their previous meeting, have dragged them down to second from the bottom. Their bowling has lacked penetration, and costly fielding errors have only added to their woes.
Despite that, there are positives. Against the USA, Nepal put up 271 runs on the board, thanks to vital lower-order efforts from Karan KC and Dipendra Singh Airee. Skipper Rohit Paudel continues to lead by example. His classy 109 against the UAE earlier this week was his second ODI hundred of the year, underlining his consistency amid chaos.
Both sides head into this clash with everything to play for. With qualification hopes fading fast, Wednesday’s fixture in Dubai could well decide who keeps their World Cup dream alive — and who falls further behind in the race.
TOSS: UAE won toss, opted to field first.
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