Mission Malaysia: Girls get ready

It was pleasant to witness national cricket coach Roy Dias shouting at Nary Thapa to hit the ball over his head for a six and women”s coach Pradip Pandey telling Sonu Khadka to bowl on the line of off stump at the Tribhuwan University Cricket ground, where the women”s cricket team in undergoing closed camp training for the upcoming ACC Women”s Twenty20 Championship.

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Eighteen girls are in training, fighting for a place in the final 14 for the national team for the event scheduled to be held in Malaysia from July 3 to 11.

For the first time in the short history of women”s cricket, Nary will not be commanding as skipper after being replaced with Ritu Kanoujiya. However, Dias thinks this will not deter players from giving their best.

“I always ask Nary to join me whenever I talk to Ritu and vice captain Nitu Thapa because she is a senior player and knows the game well,” Dias said, adding that the girls are doing well.

“Once the final 14 is selected, it will be much easier to work on the specific sector,” he told Republica. “I am very optimistic towards Maya Rawat, Nary, Ritu and Nitu in batting.”

However, Nepal”s strength is bowling and Dias is hopeful of matchwinning performances from Sonu Khadka, Neera Rajopadhyay, Ambika Budhathoki and Nary. “If they just bowl in line and don”t give away many wide runs, we will win the tournament,” Dias said.

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Nepal is in Group A along with Thailand, Singapore, Qatar, Bhutan and Iran. In Group B, host Malaysia is pitted against Hong Kong, the UAE, China, Kuwait and Oman. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals.

“Our main opponents can be hosts Malaysia or Hong Kong,” Dias speculated. “But I won”t be surprised if China pull out some unpredictable results.”

Cricket is now an official game in China”s 2010 Asian Games, and the top three teams in the tournament leaving China will qualify for the Games. As hosts, China have confirmed berth along with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

“Our team is stronger than ever,” claimed Pandey. “We got 22 days in closed-camp and players are confident.”

However, Pandey confirmed that wicket-keeping needs more attention. Saraswati Lamgade and Jyoti Pandey are two wicketkeepers in the squad. Mamata Thapa, who played for Nepal in the ACC Women”s Cricket Cup held in 2007 in Malaysia was left out this time.

Pandey defended the decision saying that Mamata performed poorly in the 5th National Games.

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In its two international appearances, the Nepali women team has performed good cricket. They were runners-up in the inaugural ACC Women”s Cricket Tournament held in Malaysia in 2007, losing the final to Bangladesh and the champions in the ACC U-19 Women”s Cricket Tournament 2008 in Thailand.

Nepal is favorite to win the tournament but it”s a difficult prediction to make because the team has not played much cricket – international or domestic. Malaysia and Singapore trained hard, playing a three-match friendly series, while China wants to show its strength.

Former Indian international Mamtha Maben is coaching the Chinese side and recently said she would go to Malaysia with the aim of winning the cup. “I have heard that Hong Kong and Nepal are very good sides,” she said in an interview.

Ritu is willing to give the nation something in her first stint as captain. “We are working hard and we will win,” Ritu said. “We need to improve in our fielding, ground as well as air, and apart from that I don”t see any problem in our team.”

Nepali women”s cricket climbed to new heights in a very short period, it will be more difficult now to remain in that position as others are also not far behind. The ACC Women”s Twenty20 Cricket Championship will be an acid test for them, the success providing them a unprecedented highlight as well as an opportunity in a lifetime to play against Test teams in Asia.

(As published in Republica & myrepublica.com / Photos by Bikash Karki)

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