Cricket Kitchen

What If Nepal Loose the ODI Status?

August 7, 2026

Nepal’s chances of finishing in the top four exist only mathematically. In reality, if we talk about the possibility in percentage terms, Nepal does not even appear to have a 1 percent chance of finishing in the top four. Even if Nepal wins all four of its matches in the Oman series, Nepal still cannot secure a 100 percent guarantee of finishing in the top six. Nepal will have to depend heavily on the results of other teams. If Oman wins one match, Namibia wins three matches, and Canada wins five matches, Nepal can finish at best in seventh place in the league 2.

According to the current ICC rules, Nepal can retain its ODI status by finishing in the top four of the World Cup Qualifier. Comparatively, however, this is a more difficult route because the tournament is played consecutively. It is not like the World Cricket League 2. Even one small mistake could cause a major setback for Nepal. If Nepal, which is currently struggling for form, fails to finish above the teams coming from the Challenge League in the Qualifier, Nepal will lose its ODI status.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj7piui4T_I&t=1s

What happens if none of the above conditions go in Nepal’s favor and Nepal loses its ODI status?

1) A major blow to Nepal’s 50 overs cricket

Nepal is currently playing 36 matches in the ODI circle, including matches in the World Cup Cricket League 2. This does not include ODI series organized by Nepal or other countries. If Nepal loses its ODI status, the most direct impact will be on this.

Nepal will have to play the Challenge Cup. In this situation, Nepal will play only 15, 50 overs matches organized by the ICC, and all of these matches will be included as List A matches. Most of Nepal’s matches after losing ODI status will be List A games.

Nepal’s ODI ranking will continue to decline. It will take Nepal a minimum of four years to regain ODI status. The possibility of Nepal playing against ODI nations will become very low.

2) A massive decline in players’ exposure

All the players currently playing for Nepal are ranked in ODI cricket. After losing ODI status, Nepal’s players will gradually disappear from the ODI rankings. This will cause a major decline in the international exposure of Nepali players.

It will particularly reduce the motivation among young players to fight for a place in the national team. Players’ passion for the game will deterioration. Investment will also gradually decrease automatically.

However, T20 cricket is likely to keep players involved to some extent. Once Nepal has fewer opportunities to participate in international ODI matches, Nepali players will naturally become more attracted to T20 cricket.

This will reduce players’ ability to play long innings and build partnerships. Bowlers may also face problems such as losing control and not being prepared to bowl long spells.

Since T20 is a short-format game, players do not face the same kind of pressure in the middle overs. If most players adapt themselves primarily to T20 cricket, it will become extremely difficult for Nepal to regain ODI status.

The Nepal Premier League and other T20 leagues regularly held in the country will motivate players toward less fitness-intensive cricket compared with ODI cricket, and players will lose the skills required to control the middle overs in ODI matches.

At first glance, Nepal may still have T20 cricket and the NPL, but the foundation of Nepali cricket will gradually become weaker. The direct impact of this will be visible among the players.

Nepal will return to the kind of situation in which Nepali players and cricket were before 2018. The situation currently faced by Nepali football players will gradually emerge among Nepali cricketers as well. A high level of players migration is likely to occur.

3) Reduction in ICC funding

The funding provided by the ICC will not be cut immediately as soon as a country loses ODI status. However, the ICC conducts various programs in countries that have ODI status. If ODI status is lost, those programs will also be reduced. In that situation, the funding provided to CAN will automatically decrease, directly affecting Nepal’s domestic competitions, CAN’s operating expenses, and players’ incomes.

This will certainly push Nepali cricket backward. As a general example, before every World Cup Cricket League, the ICC provides financial support to the Nepali team for its preparation. If Nepal loses its status, that funding will become zero.

5) The road to the World Cup will become much longer

If any country loses its ODI status, that country has to play the Challenge Cup. In this situation, the route to the ODI World Cup will become more complicated, narrower and longer.

There will be two groups in the Challenge Cup, with six teams in each group. Among those six teams, after a total of 15 matches against each other, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the World Cup Qualifier Play-Offs.

The four teams that qualify for the Qualifier and the four teams relegated from CWC League 2 will then compete, and the top four teams among them will regain ODI status.

Once ODI status is lost, the process becomes extremely difficult.

For example, Hong Kong lost its ODI status in 2018 and has still not been able to regain it. If Nepal loses ODI status, Nepal will once again return to the situation it was in during 2014–15.

6) A serious setback to the plan of becoming a Test nation

Although there is no specific condition stating that Nepal cannot become a Test nation immediately after losing ODI status, Nepal will lose the moral right to claim Test-nation status.

The moment ODI status is lost; it will have a major impact on Nepal’s cricket ecosystem. There will be no international ODI matches. Operating the domestic structure will also become comparatively more difficult for CAN than it is now.

With a weaker domestic structure and no ODI status, Nepal’s plan of becoming a Test nation will turn into a dream once again.

If Nepal still claims Test-nation status with this situation, the ICC would directly reject the claim because Nepal would not have the foundation to meet the criteria that the ICC applies for becoming a Test nation.

If Nepal loses ODI status, these are only some of the areas that will be directly affected. There will be impacts across many other areas of cricket as well.

Nepal’s path toward cricket development could be forced to start almost from the beginning again.

Nepal may continue to enjoy T20 internationals and domestic competitions, but it would be pushed far behind in its ambition to become a strong cricket nation.

 

Udeep Raj Dhungana

S. Editor – Cricket Kitchen