With eyes fixed on the World T20 finals, Nepal will vie against hosts Oman in their opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 Global Qualifiers at the Al Amerat Cricket grounds in Muscat on Friday.

Nepal, who have appeared only once in the global showpiece in 2014 in Bangladesh, are optimistic of making it to the finals for the second time under the mentorship of Pubudu Dassanayake, the same coach who led Nepal's fight eight years ago.

But there are numerous changes in the team with only two players in Gyanendra Malla and Sharad Vesawkar remaining from the 2014 squad. They have also transformed into a batting unit unlike a bowling team, if the words of veteran Vesawkar are to be believed.

"There has been a big transformation and the team has changed into a batting unit. Though there are many youngsters in the squad, they are ready for the game," Vesawkar had said ahead of the team's departure for Oman where they also played a Quadrangular Series involving hosts Oman, Ireland and UAE.

Nepal defeated Oman by six wickets in the series before losing to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 25 runs and Ireland by 16 runs. Irrespective of the two defeats, the Sri Lanka born Canadian coach Dassanayake is hopeful about Nepal's prospect of securing a place in the World T20 finals. The victory over Oman is likely to boost the confidence of the team.

Nepal are placed in Group 'B' of the Global Qualifiers along with Oman, the Philippines and Canada while Group 'A' consists of Bahrain, Germany, Ireland and the UAE of 'Qualifiers A. The two finalists will book tickets for the tournament in October and November.

"I think the preparations have been fantastic so far. These three games (Oman Quadrangular Series) that we played have given all the players a chance to get used to conditions and high quality cricket," he added.

Terming the nine-day camp in Oman as the best preparation, he said, "The boys are really doing very well. Even though the results could have been better, I have no regrets. I am happy how things went and the whole team is confident. The fast bowlers and spinning department are at their best," he added.

Captain Sandeep Lamichhane, who will face the first real test as national captain, said that the team was growing gradually. "Our ultimate goal is to qualify for the World Cup in Australia and I think we are capable of that," he said. "We are growing in every department gradually. We were able to find out many positives from the series."

Youth players Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel will shoulder the responsibilities of opener while one among two veterans — Malla and Vesawkar — are likely to be listed in the starting line-up. Nepal could rely upon Dipendra Singh Airee, Lokesh Bam and Aarif Sheikh in batting. Leg spinner Lamichhane, and pacers Jitendra Mukhiya and Kamal Airee will take charge of Nepal's bowling department.

Nepal will take on the Philippines on Saturday and Canada on Monday in their group matches.