Nepal vs Papua New Guinea Match Prediction

NEP

70%

Chance of Winning

PNG

30%

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Mar 03, 202309:00 AM

National teams

Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Nepal would be seeking redemption and consolation in a failed ICC World Cup Super League 2 campaign against rivals Papua New Guinea in a battle of the underdogs. The encounter is slated to take place on March 3 in Dubai at 11:30 AM IST.

Facts

• Papua New Guinea has lost four of its last five ODIs while Nepal have won four of their last five.
• Sandeep Lamichhane has 16 wickets in the five ODIs he has played since his return from a long break starting in August last year due to an ongoing court case.
• Assad Vala has six 30-plus scores in his last 10 games, including three half centuries and as many scores of 35-plus.

Nepal vs Papua New Guinea Chance of Winning

Nepal fell to a loss on Thursday after failing to chase down a humble target of 208 set by the United Arab Emirates. Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, would be entering the clash on a high courtesy of a dominant win against the same opposition but would remaining the underdogs in the encounter given their poor past record.

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Nepal vs Papua New Guinea Prediction & Betting Tips 2023

Nepal has emerged victorious in three of the last five ODIs between the two sides. In fact, they played each other just a week ago where the Himalayan country rode on the back of a Kushal Bhartel half-century to chase down a target of 204 with four wickets and nearly five overs to spare. Given the win before that came by a dominant margin of seven wickets as well, it is easy to identify Nepal as the clear favourites on paper.

Moreover, the subcontinental nation would also have the services of Sandeep Lamichhane available for the encounter, the prodigy breaking ground for Nepalean cricket. The spinner has been impressive enough to earn contracts in the IPL, Hundred and CPL in the past and proved to be unplayable for fellow nations ranking outside the top 10 in ODIs. Thus, Nepal would enter the contest with their heads held high and confident of triumph.

Nepal vs Papua New Guinea Match Toss Prediction

In the last five ODIs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, teams chasing have won thrice as compared to two victories for the defending side. Even Nepal defeat Papua New Guinea in their previous encounter at the venue by fielding first, thereby setting a clear precedent as to what direction the captains will take at the toss on Friday.

Weather Report

Spectators can expect a clear and sunny morning, as is usual in that part of the country, on Friday as perworldweatheronline. Temperatures would hover in the early 20 degrees centigrades while the humidity would run high at around 50%. There would be no cloud cover but decent wind speed reaching upto 15 km/h.

Nepal News & Player List

Nepal squad:Rohit Paudel(C), Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Gyanendra Malla, Kushal Malla, Sundeep Jora, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Gulsan Jha, Bhim Sharki, Surya Tamang

Nepal Predicted Playing XI:

Nepal Team Form

Nepal have won four of their last five ODIs, taking their tally to 28 points in the league. They have the chance to surpass the United Arab Emirates with a win against PNG, further extending their good form.

Papua New Guinea News & Player List

Papua New Guinea squad:Assad Vala (C), Aasif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh, Kiplin Doriga, Gyanendra Malla, Sese Bau, Tony Ura, Chad Soper, Assad Vala, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Norman Vanua, Hila Vare

Papua New Guinea Predicted Playing XI:

Papua New Guinea Team Form

Despite an astounding win against the UAE by 131 runs in their latest ODI, PNG remain a lacklustre team given their four losses on the trot before the clash. They lie dead last in the league with three wins in 30 games, a good 21 points behind their next competitor.

NEP vs PNG Head to Head

The two sides have played each other in 7 ODIs, with Nepal having the upper hadn as reflected in their five victories.

Total ODIs – 7

Nepal – 5

Papua New Guinea – 2

Nepal vs Papua New Guinea Betting Odds

Aasif Sheikh to score above the required mark

The top-order batter has stepped up to the mark in recent times, upping his ODI average to 29.21 with 818 runs across 29 ODIs. Aasif Sheikh recently scored 44 in the clash against Papua New Guinea, their upcoming opponents, shortly after a match winning 81 against Namibia. The batter is bound to be one of the top performers in the ODI in Dubai and is one to look out for for the punters.

Nepal vs Papua New Guinea Top Team Batters

Rohit Paudel to be Nepal’s top batter

The Nepal skipper has been in excellent form with four half centuries in his last 10 innings in white-ball cricket, including a headline-making unbeaten 95 against Scotland to lead his country to a historic triumph. In his last 10 ODIs, Paudel has 874 runs at an excellent average of 38, clear of all his other teammates by atleast 9 points and over 200 runs in the same time frame. An out and out leader of the batting lineup, all eyes would be on Rohit Paudel when it is Nepal’s chance to wield the willow on Friday.

Assad Vala to be Papua New Guinea’s top batter

As is the case for the opposition Papua New Guinea would also be expecting their captain to lead the team from the front with another big knock. The veteran averages over 30 in ODIs after 55 caps and has nine half-centuries to his name alongside a career high score of 104. In the last 12 months, Assad Vala is over 200 runs clear of the next most prolific batter for the side during the time, Charles Amini. The average reads a brilliant 37.31 as well, again well clear of his compatriot. Thus, Vala remains an obvious bet for punters when it comes to the best performer with the bat for PNG come Friday.

Nepal vs Papua New Guinea Top Team Bowlers

Sandeep Lamicchane to be Nepal’s top bowler

After a long court case finally saw the spinner have his bail conditions relax and return to representing the country, Sandeep Lamichhane immediately made an impact with a haul of 3/27 against the United Arab Emirates. The 22-year-old averages a stunning 15.12 in ODI cricket, the economy an equally impressive 4.05. In the past one year, he has 44 wickets to his name in ODIs, eight more than the next-best for Nepal Sompal Kami despite playing seven games less. Thus, expect the experienced prodigy to cause havoc in the PNG lineup once again at the DSC.

Chad Soper to be Papua New Guinea’s top bowler

Chad Soper was the star in PNG’s rare victory ovet the United Arab Emirates, scalping five wickets while conceding just 25 runs to restrict the opposition to a paltry 131. The right-arm quick has 60 ODI wickets to his name, his economy reading a commendable 4.44. In the last 12 months, no bowler has managed more wickets for PNG than the 31-year-old, as is the case for the speedster’s average of 28.50 in the same timeframe.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: Nepal

After stringing together a legion of positive results, Nepal eventually succumbed to the United Arab Emirates but not without giving a fight. The Asian side received a major boost with the return of international star Sandeep Lamichhane, the spinner once again impressive in a disappointing team effort. Papua New Guinea’s victory, meanwhile, was only their third in 30 attempts, placing them last on the points table by a considerable distance. Thus, Nepal should cruise past their Oceanic rivals comfortably when the two meet on Friday.

• Nepal to win @ 1.31 (Melbet)
• Papua New Guinea to win @ 3.44 (Melbet)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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