The Nepali women’s team has already created history by qualifying for the Global Qualifier of the T20 World Cup for the first time.

Now they have the chance to write another history by pulling off a miracle at home by finishing as one of the top four teams in the Qualifier that begins today and progress to the maiden World Cup taking place in England and Wales in June and July later this year.

“It will be a turning point for Nepali women’s cricket,” Nepal’s skipper Indu Barma said during the pre-tournament press conference in Kathmandu on Saturday. “First, thanks to the ICC for allowing Nepal to host this big event. This will help the new generation of Nepali girls to find prospects in cricket.”

Nepal qualifying for the World Cup would be a cherry on top, Barma added.

“The results in the warm-ups and previous friendlies did not go in our favour, but it will not affect our resolve in the Qualifier,” she said. “The matches helped us understand the better teams. We are going to give our best, play better cricket, and qualify for the main event.”

During the official warm-up matches on January 14 and 16 against Ireland and the USA, Nepal lost by 99 runs and six wickets, respectively. Before that, Nepal had lost by eight wickets to the USA on January 7 and by 27 runs against Scotland on January 9. They had, however, bounced back with a four-wicket win over the USA on January 11.

Based on the performances in the warm-ups, the ICC, on Saturday, revealed five players who are set to shine at the Qualifier. The list includes Bangladesh’s captain Nigar Sultana Joty, Ireland’s Orla Prendergast, Scotland’s Kathryn Bryce, Thailand’s Natthakan Chantham and Papua New Guinea’s Konio Oala.

The ICC also included PNG’s Hane Tau, Ireland’s Gaby Lewis, the Netherlands’ Heather Siegers, Namibia’s Yasmeen Khan, Bangladesh’s Sharmin Akhter, Scotland’s Katherine Fraser, the USA’s Chetna Pagydyala, Zimbabwe’s Beloved Biza and Thailand’s Aphisara Suwanchonrathi as the players to watch. The list did not have a Nepali player.

“We have felt improvement with the arrival of head coach Harshal Jayant Pathak,” Barma said. “The games that matter are just starting. And we will not let this chance, which has come after the 18-year-long journey of Nepali women’s cricket, go in vain.”

Of the 10 teams divided into two groups of five each, Nepal are in Group B with the Netherlands, Scotland, Zimbabwe and Thailand. Group A comprises Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea and the USA.

The top three teams from each group progress to the Super Six stage. From there, the top four will book their tickets to England and Wales.

Nepal’s first match is against Thailand, a team Nepal have never beaten in the seven matches they have played. However, this time, they have a chance with Thailand’s long-time coach Pathak joining the Nepali squad.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s captain Naruemol Chaiwai said that it will not matter much. “Our work is to play,” she said when asked if Pathak’s association with Nepal would be a challenge. “We will be giving our best and targeting the qualification for the World Cup.”

Nepal and Thailand will play the Qualifier opener at the Kirtipur-based TU International Cricket Ground at 9pm today. The hosts will then face the Dutch side, Zimbabwe and Scotland on January 22, 24 and 26, respectively.

The Cricket Association of Nepal has revealed that there will be free entry to the Qualifier matches. With that, the Nepali women’s team expects a loud crowd to help them play better and create a bigger history by qualifying for the World Cup.

Out of the 10 teams, Nepal (21st) are ranked second-lowest in the ICC Women’s T20I Rankings after the USA (25th). However, with Nepal losing two of the three matches played against the USA in the practice and warm-up fixtures, upsetting the other higher-ranked teams to secure one of the four spots would be an herculean task. But as captain Barma insisted, the team is up for that.