Baglung is a small hilly city 72km from Western city of Pokhara – 271km from Kathmandu. When I reached there for my personal visit, I was pleasantly surprised to see a few kids playing cricket at the ground of the Mahendra Multiple Campus.
The backdrop for the game: world’s seventh highest peak Mt Dhaulagiri standing tall at 8,167m from sea level. For more than 30 years, Dhaulagiri had been considered the tallest mountain of the world.
The stumps were made of three small branches of plants – that too only on one side. Five fielders were spread around, and the batting team players gathered at the umpire’s area.
The batsman was playing shots straight over the bowler hitting the ball cross-bat, bowling technique was okay and I knew it was because of the television the kids have learn the game.
I asked if I could play; they asked me to field at slips. I hadn’t much time as I had spent almost 20 minutes trying to get the shots with my amateur camera. As I stood up to leave, I asked the boy who was on the volleyball pole what he was doing there.
And there was the most interesting answer: “I’m the third umpire.â€Â
(Note: As far as I know Baglung doesn’t have proper cricket team.)