Kathmandu, April 19 -- Nepal have failed to qualify for the ICC U-19 World Cup scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia next year after their final match against Afghanistan in the ICC U-19 Asia Qualifier was cancelled due to rain on Saturday.

Nepal needed an outright win in the decisive fixture at Mulpani Cricket Ground to qualify, while a washout or a draw would suffice for Afghanistan, who had a better net run rate. Rain had started on Friday evening and persisted into Saturday morning, leaving parts of the outfield waterlogged despite efforts to dry the inner 30-yard circle.

Match referees and umpires inspected the ground but concluded that even a reduced 20-over game was not possible, leading to the match being called off.

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