3 times Nepal fans showed immense support for their cricket team ft. T20 World Cup 2024
Nepal made their T20 World Cup return yesterday (June 4) in Dallas. The Asian team qualified for the mega event in 2014 but could not make it to the Super 10 round. They had to wait 10 more years to compete at the grand stage, and made their much-awaited return yesterday against the Netherlands.
Not many cricket fans from other nations would have expected the Nepalese fans to take over Dallas in their T20 World Cup 2024 opener. The stadium was jam-packed with cricket crazy people wearing the Nepal jersey. Unfortunately for the fans, their team suffered a close defeat in Dallas.
In this listicle, we will look at the three such instances, where the fans from Nepal showed immense support for their national cricket team.
#1 The Nepalese wave at the Grand Prairie Stadium, T20 World Cup 2024
USA and West Indies are co-hosting the T20 World Cup for the first time in cricket history. Nepal's team landed in Dallas for their first Group D match against the Netherlands. The wicket at the Grand Prairie Stadium was not the best for batting, and Nepal managed 106 runs in their first innings.
Chasing 107, the Netherlands were down to 80/4 in the 16th over. The well-set Max O'Dowd was in the middle, and he tried a big shot over long-off against Sompal Kami, which went towards Nepal captain Rohit Paudel. It looked like the skipper would take the simple catch, but he failed to complete it. Max eventually completed his half-ton and guided the Netherlands home.
Throughout the match, there was immense support for Nepal from the fans present at the Grand Prairie Stadium. It seemed like the entire crowd was against the Men in Orange. When Rohit Paudel dropped Max's catch, the fans were visibly frustrated. However, they still clapped for their team for the fightback against Netherlands, taking the game into the 19th over while defending 107.
#2 Nepal fans turn up in thousands for a screening in Kathmandu, T20 World Cup 2024
Yesterday's Nepal vs Netherlands T20 World Cup game was screened live in different parts of Nepal. A picture from a live screening in Kathmandu went viral on social media, where thousands of fans could be seen watching the game together.
Although this is Nepal's only second T20 World Cup appearance, the craze for cricket in the Asian country is at another level. It will be interesting to see if the team receives the same support in their upcoming games.
#3 A full house at the TU Cricket Ground
Netherlands and Namibia visited Nepal for a tri-nation T20I series earlier this year. Kirtipur's TU Cricket Ground hosted the fifth game of the series between Nepal and Netherlands, where the home team registered a five-wicket win.
A video of thousands of fans cheering for the Nepal team went viral on the internet from that match played on March 2. Luckily for the fans, Nepal defeated Netherlands by five wickets that day and sent them home with a smile.