Manoj Prabhakar is set for a divorce with Nepal following the Namibia debacle but the coach leaves behind a tough assignment for the national cricket team, who are on the verge of losing their One-Day International status.

The 59-year-old Indian returned home on Monday “after establishing a mutual agreement to part company with the Nepal national team following a discussion with Cricket Association of Nepal,” according to several media reports.

Prabhakar was appointed to the hot seat on August 8 on a one-year deal. Following the appointment, the coach had promised to bring a difference in Nepali cricket.

Under the coach, Nepal defeated Kenya 3-2 in a five-match Twenty20 International Series, which was followed by a 3-0 ODI series sweep against the same team in Nairobi during their Kenya tour in August and September. The Rhinos also clinched the ODI series against the United Arab Emirates 2-1 at the TU cricket ground last month.

The prospects were bright. But fast forward to December and the differences he had pledged were not to be.

Nepal travelled to Windhoek to play the Namibia-Nepal-Scotland Tri Series of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 with plenty at stake.

But their three consecutive losses of the Namibia Triangular Series followed by a no result against the hosts dented their hopes to directly qualify for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe next year.

The catastrophic campaign left Nepal in the sixth position with just 18 points from 24 matches—leaving them an uphill task of retaining their ODI status. Nepal now must win at least nine of their remaining twelve matches to finish inside the fifth position to keep the one-day status.

Prabhakar’s job was already in the line following his Windhoek flop. But Nepal’s downfall has been credited mainly to the coach’s needless interference with the batting order in the squad, especially attempting to bench Karan KC.

Allrounder KC is considered one of the most reliable batters down the lower order. It was KC who had helped Nepal secure a famous one-wicket win over Canada in the 2018 World Cricket League Division Two in Namibia after coming in at number 10 and smashing 42 off 31 in a performance that ultimately paved the way for Nepal to secure ODI status a month later.

Prabhakar had also demoted Dipendra Singh Airee to number seven and dropped allrounder Mohammad Adil Alam for the Namibia Tri Series, where Nepal also failed to cross a 200-run total mark.

But Prabhakar’s row with the national team had started earlier during the Kenya tour when he had a confrontation with Aarif Sheikh and Aasif Sheikh. Prabhakar had later said that it would be difficult to manage Nepali team as long as the Sheikh brothers were in the squad. The coach had then benched Aarif from the starting XI in the ODI series against Kenya.

Aarif, however, started against the UAE in Kirtipur and played a match-winning 62-run partnership with Gulsan Jha hitting 33 not out in the second ODI to level the series. After the winning performance, Aarif had gestured towards the coach to assert his importance in the middle order, which in turn had only angered the coach.

In a private meeting with CAN officials on Sunday, the coach had given them a mouthful saying the squad lacked discipline and even urged CAN to change the players rather than coaches, according to a CAN official.

Prabhakar’s official resignation is expected anytime soon. Prabhakar will be the third coach of Nepal to depart in the past two years following the exits of former Sri Lankan World Cup winning coach Dav Whatmore and Pubudu Dassanayake, both of whom quit without completing their tenure.

Regardless of it, Nepal now need to focus on securing their ODI status they fought hard for.