As Nepal prepares for a high-stakes ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Scotland, an unexpected opportunity may have just arisen.

Scotland, traditionally a dominant force in Associate cricket, are a side Nepal have struggled to consistently challenge. Looking at past results, Nepal have only occasionally managed to upset Scotland, with most matches ending in disappointment for the Rhinos. However, as a new tri-series of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 begins Monday in Dundee, Nepal now have a genuine chance to assert themselves over the host.

The major reason for this is the current state of the Scotland squad. The host will be without five of its frontline players, including star pacer Brad Currie. One more pacer, Chris Sole, who played for Biratnagar Kings in the inaugural edition of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), is also not in the squad as he had earlier withdrawn from national duties citing personal reasons.

Scotland’s recent tour to the Netherlands for League 2 saw Brad Currie claim 10 wickets in three matches. In one match against the Netherlands, on May 10, he took 4 wickets for 52 runs—his second-best bowling figures in ODIs. But the 26-year-old left-arm pacer won’t be playing against Nepal or the Netherlands this time.

Currie is currently playing white-ball cricket for English county side Sussex, which remains his professional priority. He is featuring for Sussex in T20s, taking wickets for his team in the Vitality Blast Men tournament.

However, Currie is not the only absentee due to county cricket commitments or personal reasons, Cricket Scotland revealed while announcing the League 2 squad.

Brad Wheal, Andrew Umeed, Josh Davey and Michael Jones are also tied up with county duties.

Nonetheless, the Scottish batting remains strong with George Munsey, Brandon McMullen, captain Richie Berrington and Matthew Cross. Less than a month ago, in their final match against the Netherlands on May 16, McMullen and Berrington both scored centuries, while Munsey blasted 80 off 56 balls. Those scores guided Scotland to their highest ODI total of 380/9. Further, Munsey had smashed a century in the first match of the double round-robin format tri-series against the Dutch side.

Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Jack Jarvis, and Michael Leask will handle the bowling responsibilities. Jarvis made his ODI debut two years ago against Nepal in Kirtipur. Lead pacer Charlie Cassell is also one to watch.

Cassell made a stunning debut in Dundee last year, taking 7 wickets for 21 runs in 5.4 overs against Oman, which remains the best ODI debut bowling performance by any player. He will return in a crucial series at the same venue against the Rhinos.

For the Scottish players waiting in the wings, this is a breakthrough opportunity, and for others, it’s a chance to cement their place in the national setup.

In the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers, the Netherlands were also without seven of their top players—yet they still qualified for the World Cup. Like the Netherlands, Scotland have a strong domestic cricket structure, meaning they can remain competitive even without their top names. This suggests Nepal will not have an easy shot.

Nepal's own questions

Nepal, too, enters with uncertainties, chief among them is a fragile batting order.

In Saturday’s warm-up against Scotland ‘A’, the top order crumbled, with key batters—the Sheikh brothers, Aasif and Aarif, and newly appointed vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee—falling for ducks. Still, half-centuries from Bhim Sharki, captain Rohit Paudel, and Gulshan Jha helped the team post a respectable 253 at the loss of nine wickets.

Aasif’s opening partner, Kushal Bhurtel, has also struggled for form. He started well, hitting five fours in a 31-run innings off 44 balls, but failed to convert it into a big score. The pair has been failing to show consistency to keep the first wicket safe for a decent time.

The second team of Scotland could not complete the chase as the second practice match was called off due to rain when the hosts were batting at 64/3 in 13 overs. But in the first of the two friendlies, Nepal were defeated by the second-choice team.

In the first warm-up game against Scotland ‘A’, Nepal were bowled out for just 118 in 29.4 overs and lost by 102 runs. Before arriving in Dundee, Nepal had won all five of their warm-up games in England and Wales, an important exposure to British conditions.

Nepal will aim to correct the mistakes from the warm-up matches when they play Scotland in the series opener at Forthill on Monday. The onus is on Nepal’s pace battery—Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha and Rijwan Dhakal—to sharpen their skills. Spin duties rest with Sandeep Lamichhane and Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, while Airee’s off-spin could also be useful. Depending on the seam conditions, Nepal may field only one of the frontline spinners.

Nepal’s recent performance in ODIs and League 2 hasn’t been encouraging. Yet, ironically, their record against Scotland has been relatively better. Nepal have won 3 of the last 4 matches against them, while the most recent game, in Dallas in November last year, was washed out by rain.

This match will be Nepal’s first official game under head coach Stuart Law. He will be eager to make an immediate impact but surely knows that playing Scotland at home is never an easy task.