A few days ago, a fellow journalist, in a reaction to a facebook posting of mine, asked me a question, “What will happen to Nepali cricket after Roy Dias is gone? Would it collapse along with his farewell?”
Roy Dias leaves Nepal after nine years as coach. Photo by Dipesh Shrestha/Republica
A few of my other friends scoffed at it. A few were angry, while a few thought the comment was insane. What impact can a single man make to the whole sector? A reasonable assessment… Perhaps pragmatic approach… For this approach makes you continue, even after a minor debacle…
A similar story had appeared in an international media few months ago, mocking New Zealand cricket. It said the entire New Zealand cricket would retire, when Daniel Vettori, its captain, decides to call it a day. No doubt, Daniel Vettori has been one of the few things Kiwi cricketers can take pride in, over the last decade or so. But he alone is not New Zealand cricket. But the above lines only highlight the contribution one single human being can make to the entire fraternity.
Likewise, a deeper look at the question from the fellow journalist makes you try and understand why it came. It came from a person that loves Nepali cricket. And is worried for it… Worries and planning do not make good bedfellows. They have to be kept aside, separately in water tight compartments, for worries may hamper plans. But you worry, if the road ahead looks foggy, sights gets blurred by the confusion that crossroads bring in your mind. And we can’t forget that Nepali cricket stands at the crossroads.
Crossroads it is, because a coach that has been there for 9 years (actually just a few months short of a decade), is leaving. Crossroads it is, because we haven’t yet groomed a person, who can take over half of the responsibilities that man was given. Crossroads it is, because we have a cricket board that is clearly divided, evident by the President and General Secretary hardly present together in planning meetings. Crossroads it is, because after a hard fight over the years we have achieved the status of number one ranking among Non-Test playing nations in Asia.
This is a fight that started nine years ago, when we got an old school coach from Sri Lanka that believed in teaching discipline first and then improving techniques. A coach who had played cricket at the highest level, the Test matches, and already coached a Test side… Those were the days we were only beginning to learn how to grip the willow.
Having been one of the first journalists to have met him in Kathmandu, I remember a fellow colleague asking Roy, “Sir, can you tell me about what kind of player you were?” This is perhaps the best example of what we, as journalists and nation, knew about cricket. Next to nothing…
Times change, the same way cricket pitch does over five days of Test cricket. And now we have a side that may not be world beaters, but are at least the top side in Asia (how many Non-Test playing cricket nations do we hear of outside Asia?). And that perhaps shows what Roy Dias has given us. His belief in his methods, his ways, of taking control, of mentoring the players, have been vindicated. The rankings will remain in place till the end of 2012, and Cricket Association of Nepal will be richer by 50 to 60K in USD, for infrastructure development. And for now on, we’d be dependent on a new coach, to take our team, hopefully, to newer heights. A new chapter has to begin. And this could be good grounds to begin it.
Under the mentorship of Roy Dias, we’ve won more matches than lost. And that should make a cricketing nation proud. Apart from wins, our cricketers have been our goodwill ambassadors to the places they’ve visited. In a recent meeting Dias told me, “It’s not only about winning or losing. It’s also about how you play. We can’t forget that Cricket is a gentleman’s game.”
That would be his contribution too, trying to bring in gentlemanliness back in cricket. And at the risk of sounding emotional, I would say, “Roy, for that at least, you’d be missed!”
(The article originally appeared in The Kathmandu Post, 18th December, 2010, in a weekly column and also in the author’s personal blog.)
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Maha dherai khayo bhane Tito huncha………..Dias nepal ma tyestai bhai sakyo………….tyeso bhayera Dias lai hami le bidhai garnai parcha…….baki rahyo ko le samhalla bhanni………….CAN should be serious in this case and should hire best coach, who is capable to boost up moral of team in important game. We need to beat Afganis in Asia in order to progress…
Dias was a great character and coach for Nepal Cricket. Though he was known to be a technically perfect and classic batmen but during his decade tenure he failed in that particular department the most , for what Dias will always have some regret.
Dias will always be remembered when Nepal’s cricket is talked about..
Yes it was good time for him to give up and have some other mentor for crickets development in Nepal..
We love and miss you Roy Luke Dias not only as a good mentor but also as a proper Gentlemen and human being.
I noticed something false there in this article. Nepal is the top non-test playing nation in Asia??? I don’t think so. The ACC’s rankings has been totally mistaken. What about Afghanistan and UAE???
@Pragyan:– The ACC ranking is a combination of Ranking of Senior, U-19 and U-16 Tournaments. This has been done to ensure that all members ensure the development of Cricket at all levels rather than just hiring players from outside for senior team, perform and take away ACC funding. Since cricket is really popular in Nepal, hence the youth teams performed good besides the good performance by senior team made Nepal the no 1 team in Asia.
http://asiancricket.org/index.php/acc-rankings………check this website dude……u will get ur answer…
yupppp.. Nepal roxxx.. B)
Guys,
Dias cannot do anything to increase the level of cricket until there is more games in Nepal. We hardly have any tournaments for players to expose themselves. Selection is done considering one tournament. That is crazy. Where is the stat for the player. CAN should organized more tournament and keep the stats of all the players to pick the best ones. It does not matter who comes as a coach in Nepal until there is more exposure to the players.
Dias Brought Nepalese Cricket To The Height!!!!!!!!He Is A Icon Of Srilankan Cricket … He Is Icon Of Players Like Arvinda Di Silva;If Someone Better Can Replace Him, Its Fine But Else Nepalese Cricket Is Already Dead As Desert!!!!!!
aAndrew flintoff should be our coach
who will be the next coach of Nepal………….please maybe someone who can make nepal defeat Afgans & have ODI status in next 2 years.
Nepal is ranked the top team in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Non-Test Playing Nations Tournament Ranking published on December 15.
Hong Kong is ranked second, Malaysia third, Afghanistan fourth and Singapore fifth in the ranking based on a two-year cycle for men’ s cricket – senior as well as age-group. The newest ranking is determined by the teams’ placings in the ACC Trophies, ACC U-19 and U-16 Cups. The ranking will stay in place until December 2012 and it is the determining factor to split the annual development budget of USD 1,400,000 among 18 non-Test playing nations of Asia, according to ACC.
Now lets have a look at the performances of the teams ranked 1st to 4th.
1) Nepal
=> ACC Trophy Elite 2010 – Runners-up
=> ACC Twenty20 Cup 2009 – Fifth
=> ACC U19 Elite Cup 2009 – Third
=> ACC U16 Elite Cup 2010 – Runners-up
2) Hong Kong
=> ACC Trophy Elite 2010 – Third
=> ACC Twenty20 Cup 2009 – Tenth
=> ACC U19 Elite Cup 2009 – Winners
=> ACC U16 Elite Cup 2010 – Fourth
3) Malaysia
=> ACC Trophy Elite 2010 – Fourth
=> ACC Twenty20 Cup 2009 – Seventh
=> ACC U19 Elite Cup 2009 – Fifth
=> ACC U16 Elite Cup 2010 – Third
4) Afghanistan
=> ACC Trophy Elite 2010 – Champions
=> ACC Twenty20 Cup 2009 – Champions
=> ACC U19 Elite Cup 2009 – Runners-up
=> ACC U16 Challenge Cup 2010 – Third
I think the ranking is done without considering the performances of the teams. How can they rank Afghanistan 4th, whereas they have won the ACC Trophy Elite 2010 and ACC Twenty20 Cup 2009 and have finished the ACC U19 Elite Cup 2009 as runners-up and ACC U16 Challenge Cup 2010 as third. The ranking is totally not acceptable.
@Kushal:- The Ranking are a combine of U-16, U-19 & Senior teams. 20-20 does not contribute to ranking. The purpose is to have a holistic growth of Cricket at all levels. This is based out of some previous experiences where the Senior Team were entirely made of Residents. It would be unfair for countries developing cricket at all levels, not getting more money for their effort. If u look at ranking how they were Arrived as Ed has already clarified
Team (Senior +U-19+U-16 Ranking) Total points
Nepal (2+3+2)=7
Hong Kong (3+1+4)=8
Malaysia (4+5+3)=12
Afghanistan (1+2+13)=16
Singapore (9+8+1)=18
Oman (5+7+11)=23
Saudi Arabia (12+9+5)=26
Kuwait (7+13+7)=27
UAE (6+6+18*)=30
Bhutan (8+10+14)=32
Thailand (14+12+8)=34
Bahrain (18*+11+6)=35
Qatar (13+4+18*)=35
Maldives (11+15+16)=42
Iran (15+17+12)=44
China (16+14+15)=45
Myanmar (18+16+17)=51
Brunei (17+18+18*)=53
* means the team did not participate and are given default 18 points
As Nepal did so well at all levels 2 Silver and 1 Bronze while the senior team of Afghan is excellent but it does not reflect going down the age, hence Nepal becomes a preferred area of more investments. Nepal shows more depth of cricket. The same ammount of money invested here would have greater returns. I totally agree with ranking and the logic for ACC funding.
But having said that I am not saying Afghan team is bad, rather I am their fan, but merely Afghan boards urgently needs to look for replacements say 5 years down the line, develop junior cricket, otherwise it will be another Kenya story.
Jashan…quite insightful. Afg senior cricket is def the best…but it needs an all round development throughout. Hopefully it will do so in the next few years! But I hope Nepal builds up a strong team to challenge the supremacy of non test playing nations like afg, Ireland, Scotland and Canada. New year, new beginning n a new coach hopefully…
@ Noire & Jashan (India)
First I like to thank Jashan for well wishing for Nepalese Cricket. Inside Nepal if any Government or its staffs had thought as you do, then Nepal would have played tests & ODIs as other Asian nations. But being a true Nepalese I also regret on the fact that our players are playing for just nation & after cricket there is no more security to them. Though they are doing well in youth competitions and still in Senior levels. Our players also need good training campaigns and more tournaments abroad (atleast 10 in a year for senior level).
So I & other well wishers of Nepalese Cricket only can hope for future campaigns. May God provide wisdom to Nepalese government & Cricket Association of Nepal.
jashan, i hate indians but u r so gud nd u always leave gud c0ments abt nepali crickt. I wish al indians wud have been lyk u
what abt our next coach?? Who is coach of our u-19 team rght now?? and abt acc u-19, there is a gud chance of nepal to be in final this tym bc0z nepal and afg are in same group and there wil n0t b nep vs afg in semi final and we wil qualify for the global qualifyr,im sayn this bcoz afg is the only stronger team thn nepal. And tel me what is the next tournament nepal wil be participatin in?? When and where will the acc 20twnty tournament be?? I want ans for al my quesns
:p