Stuart Law was gifted his 21st win as the head coach of Nepal as his boys defeated the USA by 122 runs in their last fixture of the ICC CWC League-2 cycle (2024-2027) at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kathmandu on Friday.

Law had joined the Rhinos in April end last year. His first match with Nepal was the League-2 tri-series, comprising the Netherlands, in Dundee, Scotland, in June 2025.

The Rohit Kumar Paudel-led side had welcomed the team’s new head coach by winning their first two fixtures against the Scots and the Dutch sides. Nepal had lost the other match against the hosts as they ended their campaign with three wins in four matches after defeating the Netherlands in both fixtures.

It was a big positive for a team that was at the bottom among eight teams of League-2 when Law arrived. And after 31 matches with the Rhinos, Law, in almost a year, has taken Nepal to the fifth position. Meanwhile, Law’s side has registered only nine wins in their last 16 League-2 matches, including Friday’s match with the USA.

Law, however, has a good record with the team in the shortest format. In 19 T20Is with Law as the head coach of Nepal, the Rhinos have won 12 games.

Nepali fans have appreciated Law and his ideologies. The way Law is utilising the pool of cricketers in the country, fans have been left assured that there were enough good cricketing talents in the country.

And for Law, who has in multiple instances shared his desire to help Nepal realise the dream of becoming a Test-playing nation, this is only the beginning. The way he has completed a year with Nepal, Law’s second innings in the two-year contract will be more interesting to watch.

Helping Nepal become a Test-nation will be a difficult task for Law. But while he gives his effort to the big dream, Law has one bigger challenge coming up his way: taking Nepal to their maiden ODI World Cup.

Nepal, with Law at the helm, played their third T20 World Cup in India earlier in February. But the Rhino Army are yet to witness their team play at the one-day World Cup.

Nepal hosted the UAE and Oman for the League-2 tri-series before the USA and Scotland. The hosts lost one match—against Oman on April 29—in the first of the two tri-series at TU Ground in a month.

And they continued their momentum in the tri-series with the USA and Scotland. Nepal lost only one of their four fixtures—against Scotland by two runs on May 12.

There are two tri-series and eight matches for Nepal remaining in the League-2 cycle. If Law and his men win all of their remaining fixtures and gain a spot among the top four, their chance for a maiden berth at the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will stay alive and kicking.

Moreover, the chances of Nepal staying undefeated in the next two tri-series in the Netherlands and Oman are higher based on how the team performed in their last two tri-series at home.

The match against the US was Nepal’s 207th international match since their T20I debut in 2014 and ODI debut in 2018.

Nepal’s players at their peak?

The side that registered Nepal’s highest-ever ODI total—317/8—at TU Ground on Friday reflected a squad gradually reaching its peak years.

Gulshan Kumar Jha, at 20, was the youngest player in the playing XI, while Sompal Kami, 30, was the oldest. The average age of the playing side was around 26—young by international standards, but experienced enough to handle pressure situations.

Most of Nepal’s core players have already crossed 70 international appearances in either ODIs or T20Is despite still being in their early or mid-20s.

Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel, only 23, has already featured in 84 ODIs and 80 T20Is. Opener Kushal Bhurtel has played 70 ODIs and 76 T20Is, while wicketkeeper-batter Aasif Sheikh has represented Nepal 70 times in ODIs and 72 times in T20 internationals.

Similarly, Dipendra Singh Airee remains one of the team’s most experienced all-rounders at 26, with 76 ODIs and 96 T20Is under his belt, while leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane has already played 74 matches in both formats at just 25 years of age.

It has already seemed that 2026 will be the year of Airee. The way he has performed in his previous matches with the start of the year to the way he smashed 59 off 36 against the USA on Friday, Airee is on fire.

Moreover, Nepal’s batting order has gotten stronger with the arrival of Ishan Pandey at number 3. It was only his third ODI for Nepal on Friday, and he was the player of the match for his 84 off 83.

Pandey was also the one who smashed the winning runs against the USA in his debut on May 16. He also scored 55 off 61 against Scotland on May 18.

The experience accumulated by this relatively young group has become one of Nepal’s biggest strengths.

The Rhinos have carried growing confidence since defeating the West Indies cricket team in a friendly T20I series and pushing giants like South Africa national cricket team and England cricket team to the brink during the T20 World Cup.

Furthermore, Law has proved that he has a quality set of players in reserve too. Nepal ‘A’, a second team of the Rhinos, had also defeated the senior teams of the USA and Scotland twice each before the League-2 tri-series.

If this core group continues to develop together under Law, Nepal’s dream of reaching an ODI World Cup may no longer appear distant.