Last Updated on 7 months by Charbel Coorey
For most of the contest, Nepal could dare to dream of a huge scalp. They controlled a lot of the match against the highly-fancied South Africa off the back of their spinners, and then set things up nicely with the bat.
With 18 needed off 21 balls with seven wickets in hand chasing 116, a showdown with Bangladesh for a Super Eights spot looked imminent.
However, it was heartbreak for Nepal. Tears were shed as they fell short, with their inexperience telling in the final overs. Boundaries in the final two overs got the equation to two to win off as many balls, but youngster Gulsan Jha was run out by inches attempting to sneak a bye off the last delivery.
Thousands of fans gather in Kathmandu – scenes that highlight how passionate Nepal is for cricket
The match showed how far Nepal have come and the potential they have. We’ve seen Afghanistan rise rapidly over the past decade, and who knows where Nepal could be in the coming years.
The passion for the sport in the country is highlighted by the amazing scenes in Kathmandu, where thousands of fans gathered from the start of the Nepal-South Africa match which began at 5:15am local time.
The Nepal fans at Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown were also magnificent. One fan travelled 16,287 kilometres to cheer for Nepal in this World Cup. His reactions during the match, showcased on the official ICC page, reflect the passion Nepalese fans have for the game.
“We wanted to give a gift to our fans but it didn’t go our way,” said Nepal captain Rohit Paudel in the post-match press conference. He hopes this is the springboard to more games against higher-ranked teams.
“The way we played today, it showed we belong here. This will give us good confidence for the next match against Bangladesh.”
Unfortunately for Nepal, they can no longer qualify for the Super Eights. But, the future looks bright.
