Newly appointed Nepal national cricket team captain Rohit Kumar Paudel said that the three-match bilateral One-Day International Series against United Arab Emirates will be an ideal preparation for Nepal ahead of the Namibia tour.

Nepal are scheduled to visit Namibia in early December for the Tri-Nation Series of the ICC World Cup League 2 that also features Scotland apart from hosts and Nepal. “It is a good series for us and I would like to thank the Cricket Association of Nepal,” Paudel said.

The matches against the UAE are scheduled on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the TU cricket ground.

“The UAE are a strong side and it will provide good preparation for the Namibia tour. Our ambition will be to perform well in all three matches and win the Series,” said Paudel, named captain on Friday following suspension of former captain Sandeep Lamichhane on September 7. Lamichhane was suspended by CAN after a minor filed rape case against him on September 6 and is currently under judicial custody.

“As we won’t have a star bowler, the medium pacers and spinners should shoulder the responsibility,“ Paudel said.

Paudel also added that they were well prepared for the series as they have recently concluded a 50-over domestic Prime Minister Cup tournament. He also said that shouldering the captain's responsibility was an opportunity for him.

“It is both an opportunity and responsibility to prove myself as captain,” said Paudel. “We will have home ground and home support and will try to grow as a team.”

Nepal’s coach Manoj Prabhakar said that playing against the UAE ahead of the Namibia Series was a golden opportunity for his side. “The UAE are an experienced side and Nepal have also played against them in the past. To keep up our ODI status is a big challenge and the Namibia Series is vital for that. It’s the best opportunity for us to perform against the UAE.”

“We have a young and talented squad. We need to keep improving day by day and in every match,” added Prabkhakar.

The UAE, who recently played in the first round of World Twenty20 in Australia but failed to progress into Super 12 round, are also scheduled to visit Nepal for their WCL fixtures in December.

UAE coach Robin Singh, however, ruled out that his side’s recent run in the World Cup will give them an edge over Nepal. “It is about learning from those experiences and trying to implement things that we have not done in the past. Every Associate member of the International Cricket Council is competitive and anyone can beat others. We can’t take any team lightly.”

UAE captain Chundangapoyil Rizwan said that he was looking forward to the Series. “We know how passionate Nepal are as a cricket loving nation. The turnaround is amazing even when we play Nepal in UAE. I can imagine (the atmosphere) at the Series,” said Rizwan.

He said that they were expecting a tough challenge from Nepal. “Nepal are a young team and have been playing really good cricket in the past. I am sure they will give us a tough time. We want to perform best for our team as every match is important,” he added.