Kathmandu: Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) on Monday announced a 16-member national squad for the Top End T20 Series set to take place in Darwin, Australia, from August 14 to 24.

All-rounder Kushal Malla makes his return to the national T20 setup, while wicketkeeper-batter Anil Sah has been left out of the squad.

The tournament, organised by Northern Territory Cricket and sanctioned by Cricket Australia, will see Nepal begin their campaign against hosts Northern Territory on August 15, followed by a clash with Bangladesh ‘A’ on August 16.

Nepal’s group stage fixtures continue against the Melbourne Stars Academy on August 18, the Hobart Hurricanes Academy on August 19, the Melbourne Renegades Academy on August 20, and Pakistan Shaheens on August 22.

The top two teams from the group will qualify for the semi-final stage.

Nepal is playing the tournament as part of preparation for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier, which will be held in Oman from October 8.

Nepal Squad

Rohit Paudel (Captain), Dipendra Singh Airee (Vice-Captain), Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Gulshan Jha, Aarif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, Rupesh Kumar Singh, Sompal Kami, Nandan Kumar Yadav, Karan KC, Rijan Dhakal, Lokesh Bam, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi.