Both teams are already the winners of this series that includes three One Day International(ODI) matches and three T-20 internationals between two rising Asian Associate rivals, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nepal. The tournament is starting tomorrow, January 25 2019.

UAE is primarily a team of expats from the sub-continent. They lack home-grown talents and that reflects in the home-support they get. UAE national team rarely see their home supporters coming in the stadium to cheer. With Nepal, that is the exact opposite. Supporters of Nepal cricket are their biggest strength. The team is well followed on social media, and the stadiums are full whenever they play local or international games.

In this tournament, UAE is already a winner as they will have festival like atmosphere with hundreds of Nepali fans filling the stadium to witness the game. Nepal is already a winner as they get to play a series with a quality rival despite being suspended by ICC. The game of cricket is winning here as games are happening at the associate level with the support and interest from the fans and cricket fraternity that rivals the games played by the ICC full members. If you want to witness the cricket fever, follow Nepal cricket team in the social media and in the live-streams tomorrow onward.

Rise of the Associate Cricket Nations

A Friendly Banter

This tournament will mark the rise of Associate Cricket nations as these two teams have been on the rise for quite some time now. Both teams are aware of each others strengths and weaknesses. A report published in "The National" a month ago highlighted how UAE national players are more celebrated in Nepal that in their own country. Naveen and Mustafa are well appreciated and loved by Nepal fans. Mustafa will not be a part of this series as he is serving a ban, but Naveed will captain the UAE side. It’s an advantage for UAE to have him as a captain because he knows the mentality of Nepali players. That could be strategic. Nepal team also knows UAE players and their strength. It will be a well-balanced tournament from that perspective.

Commercialization of Associate Cricket

The tournament is an opportunity to tap the cricket craze of Nepali fans and use it to commercialize the game outside of the full member circle. For the first time, Emirates Cricket will be live-streaming the games from Dubai. They are well aware of the guaranteed following of the live stream and it is great to see sponsors coming up to support. It will ensure the sustainability of Associate cricket. It will also help Nepali cricket as they are now seen as a source of fan following which is able to ensure profit for sponsors. The tournament may kick-start a phase of commercialization of Associate cricket. That could help organizing more tournaments against Nepal involving other associate nations like Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. There is a huge appetite for these games.

Nepali fans will be delighted to see their team in action. We love to see our players grow and taking part in tournaments where they can hone their skill. Win or lose does not matter. It will at least help Nepali cricket players to move forward and display their skills to the larger audience. With the presence of a new global superstar in the form of Sandeep Lamichhane, the tournament will be keenly followed by full member nations’ cricket fans. In a way, this tournament will also help other associate nations as there will be growing interest to see and scout the talents for potential franchise crickets. You never know, scouts may be watching for associate talents to feature in commercial leagues.

What to expect?

Nepali team will be looking to dominate the UAE team without their regular captain, Rohan Mustafa and two other senior players. UAE will take this as an opportunity to showcase their young talent and make sure they don’t allow Nepal to get away with the trophy in their home soil. Two teams have beaten one another couple of times last year and even have shared a trophy. With that in mind, we should expect some tight matches.

As a Nepal fan, we know how our team play. We should expect some nail-biting finishes and nerve-racking moments whenever Nepal team is involved. I want to see Nepal bat well and put a mature performance. Win or lose they have to show maturity and consistency.

Let’s begin this journey and let’s win this trophy. Perfect start to 2019 for us.