Nepal is currently languishing at the bottom of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup (CWC) League 2 (2024–27), which features eight teams. With crucial fixtures ahead against two of the league’s strongest sides—hosts Scotland, currently fourth, and second-placed Netherlands—the appointment of Nic Pothas, the experienced South African, as a consultant coach, comes at a pivotal moment in Nepal’s qualification campaign.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) revealed the appointment of Pothas as a consultant coach, specifically for the League 2 tournament in Scotland from June 2 to 12, on Thursday.

Pothas had a brief international playing career. A wicket-keeper batsman, he played in three ODIs for South Africa, all during the Godrej Singapore Challenge comprising Pakistan and New Zealand in Singapore in 2000. He also captained the Greek national side for a brief time, including the 2012 European T20 Championship Division Two tournament in September, in Corfu, Greece. He spent a good time in the English county tournament, representing Hampshire.

Pothas scored over 11,000 runs at an average of over 40 in the first-class game. With Hampshire, he won two One-Day Cup trophies at Lord’s in 2005 and 2009, and the T20 Cup in 2010.

Pothas retired from international cricket in 2011. His coaching journey started in 2012 when he took up a role with the Guernsey Cricket Board, where he became the Channel Islands’ first Director of Cricket and first full-time cricket specific coach. He had a flying start there. Pothas, a month before stepping down from the position in October 2015, had led Guernsey to the World Cricket League Division Six final.

He then joined Sri Lanka as the fielding coach in August 2016; in June 2017, he was the interim head coach of the Sri Lankan national team. In 2018, Pothas was with the West Indies; he served the Caribbean side as an interim head coach. Soon, Pothas was working as the assistant coach for Middlesex Cricket, a first-class county club in England.

In April 2023, Pothas returned to South Asia as part of Bangladesh’s coaching. He left Bangladesh as the assistant coach in January this year. And after over four months, Pothas is back in the Indian sub-continent, this time as the consultant coach for Nepal.

Even if he has been appointed for a brief time, for a League 2 tri-series where Nepal will play four games in total, Pothas’ experience would be vital for the struggling Nepal.

“CAN believes that his arrival will make a significant contribution to the preparation of the national cricket team in the ICC CWCL-2,” read a statement by CAN.

Further, and most importantly, Pothas’ arrival reunites him with Nepal head coach Stuart Law, his former teammate in various coaching roles.

Pothas was the assistant of Law in the West Indies. It was after Law’s departure as the head coach that he was named the interim. When Pothas joined Middlesex, Law was the head coach there. “Stuart Law was always keen to link up again with Nic and when he became available, we moved quickly,” Middlesex Cricket’s Managing Director Angus Fraser said after Pothas’ appointment. “Nic’s energy, desire and commitment is huge, and he and Stuart complement each other extremely well.”

Thus, the rapport between Law and Pothas would be beneficial for the Nepali side. If Nepal fails to perform well in this crucial tri-series, not only will a comeback like their miraculous run in the inaugural ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 be out of reach, but even a miracle to revive their campaign will be unlikely.

League 2 is the pathway to the ODI World Cup.

Nepal, who are currently touring across the United Kingdom facing local teams as a preparation, are playing two friendlies with Scotland A before the League 2 campaign.