Even as the Cricket World Cup Qualifier rages on in Zimbabwe, two things are clear: neither the UAE nor Nepal will play in the sport's flagship tournament to be held in England next year, and they are both officially classified as one-day international teams.
While the UAE managed to retain their ODI status, Nepal achieved the landmark for the first time in their history. This is obviously the good news for both sides as it means they will receive much-needed funds from the International Cricket Council, the game's global governing body, to develop the sport in their respective countries.
But as the UAE have learnt over the past four years, that does not guarantee long-term success. There are other challenges that need addressing, one of which is getting them to play more matches and gaining more exposure against the world's elite teams.
In this edition of Extra Time, Assistant Sports Editor Chitrabhanu Kadalayil speaks with staff writer Paul Radley, who was in Zimbabwe to follow the UAE's progress. There are also conversations with UAE coach Dougie Brown and former Nepal captain Binod Das, who provided plenty of insight on the road ahead for their teams.
Also, what do they think about the prospects of a UAE-Nepal series? Listen in.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!