In a bid not to give away two crucial points while aiming to improve their net run rate, Nepal played slowly but steadily to register wins over the UAE, Oman and Hong Kong on April 13, 14 and 16, respectively, in the U19 World Cup Asia Qualifier.

“We are not looking at the net run rate, but are aiming for a win,” Nepal’s skipper Naren Bhatta had said after beating Hong Kong on April 16.

The cautious approach helped Nepal earn the perfect 6 points from three wins and go equal on points with Afghanistan. Given their modest run rate, Bhatta and his squad had their fingers crossed, hoping there would be no rain disturbance when they faced Afghanistan in the deciding game on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan were not worried about the rain as the cancellation would still ensure their entry to the 2026 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia. And it was the visitors who had the last laugh as the Lower Mulpani Cricket Ground could not be dried up even hours after the rain stopped.

Ground staff used pieces of foam to soak up the water and dry the ground that did not have a proper drainage system. That the outfield was not completely covered further complicated the matters and hours of manual labour proved futile.

A final inspection by the match officials at 2pm decided that the ground was unfit for play. The decision elated Afghanistan, but thousands of Nepalis who had reached the ground to support the emerging stars in a crucial game were left bitterly disappointed. The fixture between Hong Kong and the UAE at the Upper Mulpani was also called off for the same reason.

“We were ready to beat Afghanistan today as the squad had improved with the three-game one-day friendly series before the qualifier,” Nepal U19 head coach Shakti Gauchan said. “Our months of hard work did not end happily as rain was not on our side. This setback will not keep our youngsters behind, they will emerge stronger.”

While Nepal’s hopes of qualifying for the U19 World Cup for the ninth time crashed in a rather anticlimactic fashion, it was not the first time Afghanistan outdid Nepal to enter the U19 World Cup.

Familiar foes

On April 9, 2009, Afghanistan beat Nepal by six wickets in the semi-final of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup and became one of the two finalists alongside Hong Kong, who then defeated Nepal by 36 runs in the group stage. Hong Kong defeated Afghanistan in the final, but both entered the eighth edition of the U19 World Cup in New Zealand in 2010 as the top two teams; it was the maiden World Cup for both Hong Kong and Afghanistan.

Nepal, on the other hand, were then looking to enter the U19 World Cup for the fifth consecutive edition since their debut in the third in Sri Lanka in 2000. During their fourth participation in the sixth in 2006, Nepal even defeated a New Zealand team that comprised future stars such as Martin Guptill, Tim Southee and Colin Munro.

But after missing the chance in 2009, Nepali youngsters could reach the world stage only three times (2012, 2016 and 2024) in the next seven editions. On the other hand, Afghanistan made it to all the editions after that.

Afghanistan entered the 2012 World Cup alongside Nepal as the Top 6 teams in the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier hosted by Ireland. Nepal finished second in the single round-robin league between 10 teams, while Afghanistan stood fourth. Nepal defeated Afghanistan by 42 runs during the qualifier in Dublin.

The two teams were in separate groups of five each in the 2013 ACC U19 Elite Cup, the tournament from which the winner entered the 2014 World Cup. Nepal and Afghanistan topped their respective groups and faced the runner-up of the opposite group in the semi-final; there, Nepal lost to UAE while Afghanistan went on to win the final.

Then, again, Afghanistan dashed Nepal’s hopes for the 2016 World Cup during the ACC U19 Premier League in Kuwait in November 2014. In the single round-robin league between six teams, Afghanistan qualified for their fourth consecutive World Cup as the league topper, winning all five games. Nepal were then handed their only defeat, a loss by five wickets, by Afghanistan.

Yet, it did not prevent Nepal’s entry to the 2016 World Cup in Bangladesh. The runners-up of the five regional qualifications, including Nepal in the ACC Premier League, were later called in the Qualifier in Malaysia in October 2015, where Nepal bested Papua New Guinea, Uganda, the United States and Ireland.

The 2016 World Cup was a special one for Nepal as the emerging country defeated New Zealand for the second time, this time by 32 runs, and progressed to the quarterfinal. Nepal’s squad was then led by Raju Rijal with Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee and Kushal Bhurtel in the squad, while New Zealand’s Playing XI included Rachin Ravindra, Glen Phillips and Ben Sears.

Nepal’s U19 squad was getting better after the 2016 World Cup. However, they did not stand a chance against Afghanistan in the U19 World Cup Asia Qualifier between four teams, including host Singapore and Malaysia, in 2017.

The qualifiers were played in a double round-robin format. Nepal defeated Singapore and Malaysia twice, but they lost twice to Afghanistan, who stayed undefeated and entered their fifth World Cup. Nepal’s U19 squad then comprised Airee, Bhurtel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Rohit Kumar Paudel, Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Pawan Sarraf, Shahab Alam and Kishore Mahato, all of whom went on to don the national jersey for the senior side.

And after that, Afghanistan did not have to worry about the qualifiers. They entered the 2020 World Cup in South Africa as one of the top eleven ICC full members, and in 2022 and 2024 as the top eleven teams from the previous tournament.

Nepal’s chances for the World Cup in 2020 and 2022 were shattered by the UAE, as they outperformed Nepal in the Asian qualifiers. However, Nepal returned to the biggest stage in 2024 by beating the UAE on their home turf to emerge the top team in the qualifier.

But Nepal’s entry to the 15th edition of the World Cup last year did not go well for Afghanistan. Nepal defeated Afghanistan by one wicket in the group stage of the 2024 World Cup, which forced them to the qualifier for 2026. It concluded on Saturday with Afghanistan, once again, besting Nepal and qualifying for their ninth straight World Cup.