Newly appointed Nepal national cricket team coach Manoj Prabhakar said that the team’s target would be to win maximum numbers of ICC World Cricket League 2 matches.

The former India all-rounder arrived in Nepal on Saturday to take over the hot seat.

“We have played 20 matches and lost 11 of them, we have 16 matches left to play,” said Prabhakar, speaking at an interaction in Kathmandu on Sunday. “We have to concentrate and win maximum matches.”

Nepal are currently at sixth position in the seven-team League 2 standings with 17 points. League 2 is the gateway for the World Cup with the top three teams at the completion of the Series securing place for 2023 World Cup Qualifiers. The top five teams will retain One-Day International status. The bottom four teams will have to go through a playoff involving six teams for a place in Qualifiers.

Prabhakar, who had first training session with the team on Sunday, said that Nepali players lack technique, noting Nepal’s struggle with the bat of late.

“I made all the batsmen bat today. I realised they watch too many IPL and Twenty20 matches,” he said. “They are targeting to hit hard but missing the technique. When they realise the technical part of cricket, you will see a big change in Nepal’s batting order.”

Prabhakar added, “If you have a technique, I think, you can score in any type of cricket at any time and that is missing in Nepal batsmen at the moment. Cricket’s main thing is basic. If we work on the basics we can build any type of empire. For that we have to work on base and I need time for that as it can’t be changed overnight. I need two-three months’ time.”

Prabhakar further said that he is waiting for One-Day achievement and the next step will be Test cricket.

“The drawback of cricket is everybody wants to play IPL and the technique goes wrong there,” he said. “You need to have correct techniques if you want to play One-Day or Test games. We have to win maximum One-Days and get a place for ICC Level 1. The next step is Test.”

Prabhakar was also impressed with Nepali cricketers after the first training session. “The way they are listening, giving thoughts on what I was talking about was very fruitful. In no time you will see, if everything goes well, the future will be very great,” Prabhakar went on. “When I was in Afghanistan they were nowhere.”

Prabhakar was appointed Afghanistan bowling coach ahead of the 2016 World T20 campaign. Afghanistan are currently a Test playing side.

Regarding groupism in Nepali team, he said: “We are a family now, if we have a group in a family then the family doesn’t get any success. So I told them if you are in pain the pain has to be felt by all of us—this is my motto to make them realise if we play and fight as a family it will be fruitful for the future. The same thing happens everywhere but you should know how to tackle it. When a person is not good, make him incharge, this is the way I think to put pressure on him.”

Prabhakar also said that Nepali players could learn very fast as the team was full of young players. “The young team is always quick and a good learner,” he said. “The average age of our Nepal team is 22 and is a young side. The quicker they learn the better they perform.”

Prabhakar will have his first assignment in Nepal’s tour of Kenya where they are scheduled to play five Twenty20 International matches and three One-Day games from August 25 to September 5.