Nepal will aim to secure their spot in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe when they host the United Arab Emirates and Papua New Guinea in the final tri-series of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 which is scheduled to start on Thursday.

Nepal, the UAE and PNG all have played 32 matches and will wrap up their League 2 campaign at the TU Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Kathmandu.

The Rhinos play PNG in their first match of the tri-series.

PNG are at the bottom of the seven-team standings with just nine points, meaning their hopes of saving their One-Day International status is far from over.

But Rohit Paudel’s Nepal are on a high.

Just a month ago, they were in danger of losing even their ODI status, let alone a direct entry into World Cup Qualifiers—which is set to be held from June 18 to July 9 in Zimbabwe this year.

Fast forward to March and they are now four wins away from automatic qualification, thanks to their unparalleled success in the last two tri-series.

Nepal won seven of their last eight matches—including a historic home series sweep–reigniting their hopes of finishing the League 2 on top-three position.

Nepal are in the fifth position with 32 points. Victory in all four matches will give Nepal 40 points and a privilege to join South Africa, Sri Lanka, Ireland, hosts Zimbabwe and the Netherlands in the World Cup qualification.

But lose even a single one and they will be dropped to qualifier playoffs—a repechage event to the Global Qualifier—that will be joined by the winner of Challenge League A and B. The top two teams from the playoff will keep their hopes of participating in the Cricket World Cup in 2023.

The UAE are one point adrift in the sixth position. They need to win all four matches with a large margin to secure top-three spot.

“These four final matches are very important to us,” said captain Paudel, 20, who has become the most successful ODI captain of Nepal. “Both our opponents are strong. If we can continue our recent form, we can certainly win.”

Coach Monty Desai, whose arrival in February has lifted the mood in the dressing room, was cautious.

“We are focused on the PNG game now. We will think about other games later,” Desai said.

The Indian coach also announced a 14-member squad dropping Shyam Dhakal—who made it to the national team for the first time ahead of the UAE Tri-Series—and Sundeep Jora to the reserves.

Kushal Bhurtel, who missed Nepal’s last match against the UAE on Monday, has returned to the team.