That one defeat against Qatar in the ACC Trophy in June not only overshadowed many other good things about Nepali cricket but also turned down the hopes of all Nepalis into ashes as 2004 became the worst year, both on and off the grounds, since Nepal’s entrance into the international arena.
The four-wicket loss to Qatar not only ended Nepal’s hopes of winning the trophy for the first time but also dashed the aspirations for qualifying to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.
Nepal, however, kept the hopes alive by winning the plate championship, thus qualifying for the World Cup Qualifying Series II, to be held in Malaysia in February 2005. But it would be a longer and difficult route: Nepal must win the tournament to qualify for the ICC Trophy – the 12-team competition that awards five nations the bumper prize.
The beginning of 2004 was near perfect for Nepal. The Under-17 team played as expected in January’s Asia Cup, registering wins against Malaysia, Qatar and Bahrain and losing only to the stronger nations – India and Pakistan. On February 18, it looked like the year was going to be a big one as the Under-19 team sensationally defeated South Africa in the World Cup. The one-wicket victory was thought to be the biggest Nepal had ever achieved.
But after that, Lady Luck started deserting the team. Nepal unexpectedly lost to Scotland – a nation with good cricket structure nonetheless, and went down to Australia in the plate league of the World Cup. The plate finalists of the last edition failed to reach even the plate semifinal.
However, there was nothing to worry about as the country held its head high for the good performance in Bangladesh. Nepal, in its first ever three-day and first class match, succeed to stop the UAE for a draw on their turf before thrashing down Malaysia at home in the ICC InterContinental Cup. Cricket fans were happy and hoping for big things when Nepal headed for Malaysia for the ACC Trophy.
Nepal began with a thumping nine- and 10-wicket victory over lowly Bhutan and Iran to reach the quarterfinal.
Then the shock came without warning. Nepal lost to Qatar by four wickets. Many ears refused to believe what they heard. But that was the truth and the hopes that cricket would take Nepal as high as Mt Everest came tumbling down.
The shock of defeat was reflected in further matches. Nepal lost four wickets to chase Bhutan’s 72 next day (while the earlier victory of nine wickets came chasing 91) and scored only 147 against the debutant nation, Afghanistan. Nepal also failed miserably in the ACC Fast Track Nations’ 3-day matches.
Nepal drew with Singapore and Malaysia and was humiliated by UAE at home by 10 wickets. It was a shame as UAE bowled Nepal out for mere 64 in first innings. After the defeat, three senior players, including the captain, were axed, and Nepal went to Hong Kong and played well for two days. But when the victory looked just a few yards away, Hong Kong pulled their strings and won the match by three wickets.
At domestic level, two Birendra Memorial National Leagues were held. And it was a great achievement for Region No 1 Biratnagar to win both titles. But even these two events didn’t bring any honor to Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). The first one was played on matting wickets and the second in such weather that permitted only one among 16 matches for 50-over innings. The cricket controlling body had promised during the first edition in 2002 that the tournament would soon accommodate multi-day matches, but it did precious little in that direction.
More shameful for CAN was the corruption cited while buying rollers. Its president, Jai Kumar Nath Shah, in a television program, did admit the wrongdoings but also tried to wipe his hands clean by placing the blame squarely on the secretary and treasurer. The “father of Nepali cricketâ€Â, who otherwise had a brilliant year with the lifetime achievement honor from the International Cricket Council and election to vice-presidency of Asian Cricket Council, saw his image tarnished with his alleged involvement in corruption.
The past year was not the best for Nepali cricket. But officials, players and fans alike hope the new year would bring a new dawn – by qualifying first to the ICC Trophy and then to the World Cup.
Would that indeed happen? Let’s see.
As published in The Kathmandu Post, Jan 3, 2005.