DUBAI, Jan. 25 -- Nepal will be eyeing a historic series win as the latest entrants of the One-Day International (ODI) club lock horns against a depleted United Arab Emirates (UAE) side in a three-match ODI series starting on Friday here at the ICC Academy Oval.

After achieving the ODI status through the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in March, Nepal have so far won only one out of three ODIs they have played. To bolster their ODI rankings, which would firstly only be listed after playing minimum six games, Nepal need to earn good rating points that can only be earned through a series victory.

UAE are without their regular skipper Rohan Mustafa and two other crucial members Ahmed Raza and Rameez Shahzad, who are serving an eight-month...