Cricket Nepal (Archive)

Captain of Nepal cricket team Paras Khadka got busy signing autographs after a program at the Ministry of Health and Population on Thursday, where he was named the national champion for 1000 Golden Days and Handwashing with Soap.

People seeking autographs came from different walks of life — from teenage boys to already established development workers. “You gave us reason to smile,” almost everybody had the same thing to say.

Thursday´s program was just one of those that Khadka and his teammates have been a part of, after coming home from the ICC World T20 Qualifiers in the UAE, where they qualified for World T20 2014.

Cricket Association of Nepal gave them a grand welcome at TribhuvanInternationalAirport and organized a felicitation program. The government announced prize money of Rs 1 million to each player of the squad and the National Sports Council organized a victory parade Wednesday.

Khadka and teammates attended a felicitation program organized by the Armed Police Force Thursday morning and the endorsement program at the Health Ministry in the evening, just before heading for another program, organized by the Indian embassy.

Wherever the Nepal cricket team goes, they have been thronged by fans. As team leader, Khadka, obviously, has been in the spotlight.

“I came to attend this program since my brother told me I would get an opportunity to meet Paras (Khadka) here,” said Pragya Tuladhar, who was at the Health Ministry to get pictures taken with her hero.

UNICEF Country Representative Hana Singer made it clear why her organization endorsed Khadka as national champion for the nutrition and sanitation programs, stating that he and his team were ´real champions´.

“He (Paras Khadka) is a role model that every Nepali can identify with,” said Singer.However, Khadka claims that he is not sure about his celebrity status. “I don´t know whether I have turned into a celebrity or not, but what I do know is people are showing their love and affection to every member of my team,” he said.

“I have noticed that people are happy with us and this has added to our responsibilities,” he added. When Nepal defeated Hong Kong during the ICC World T20 Qualifiers to qualify for the World Cup of the shortest version, fans immediately likened Khadka to a national hero, something that is a rarity in a country trying to get over a decade-long armed conflict.

Some sections of Nepali sports fans claim that the Nepali sports fraternity has found a new hero after South Asian record holder marathoner Baikuntha Manandhar and four-time South Asian Games gold medalist Deepak Bista. They claim that a ´Paras Khadka era´ has begun.

“Success gives people a positive attitude and the case of Paras is an example of that,” said Pawan Agrawal, former captain of the Nepal cricket team. “He was a hero in many matches that Nepal won and this success has made him a celebrity,” he added.

However, Agrawal cautioned that it would be too early to call Khadka a national hero. “He is definitely a celebrity now but he has yet to go a long way,” he said. Citing Indian cricketing heroes like Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, Agrawal said national heroes should serve long and achieve much more.

“Khadka could be a national hero if he achieves success regularly with further improved performance and handles his celebrity status properly,” said Agrawal. “But people have definitely started looking up to him and he should live up to expectations in every aspect of life,” he added.

Khadka himself believes that the recent success is only a beginning. “It is only the beginning. Other things will get better only if we give of our best on the cricket field,” he said. “We have to improve day by day on the cricket pitch and fulfill our social responsibility outside it,” he added.

(Report published on Republica and myrepublica.com at first)

Singapore registered a surprise 1-wicket victory over Delhi Wanderers on Wednesday in the Sagarmatha Cement Journey to World Cup Cricket Tournament, organized to help Nepal’s preparation for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers to be held in New Zealand.

Singapore elected to field at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Batting first, Delhi Wanderers put up 293/5 in allotted 45 overs. Delhi was at 73/4 in 15.1 overs but Arjun Gupta and Kshitiz Sharma put up a 217-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Gupta scored 133 runs off 129 balls and Sharma remained unbeaten with 92 off 91. Gupta blasted 12 boundaries and 7 sixes while Sharma hit nine boundaries and 2 sixes.

Amjad Mehboob claimed three wickets for Singapore while Chetan Suryabanshi and Vijay Kumar Salladore took a wicket each. 

Chasing the good total, Singapore reached 294/9 with three balls remaining in the innings. Arjun Mutreja clobbered 93 runs off 73 balls including 16 boundaries and a six. Kshitiz Sindhe garnered 40 runs off 45 balls while Saad Khan Janjua blasted another 40 runs off just 16 balls. He struck two boundaries and three sixes. Rezza Gaznavi chipped in with 26 runs and Anish Param garnered 34 runs.

More importantly, No 11 batsman of Singapore Amjad Mehboob kept his nerves to seal the thrilling win. He scored 10 runs off seven balls to win the match.

Satnam Singh, Pawan Negi, Shivam Maavi took two wickets each while Abhay Negi and Nukul Chopra dismissed a batsman each.

Mutreza was declared man-of-the-match for his brilliant batting performance in run chase.

Following Singapore’s victory, all the four teams in the tournament has two points each. Nepal and Air India are the two other participating teams.

Nepal is drawn in Group A alongside UAE, Scotland, Canada and Hong Kong for the the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2014, to be held in New Zealand from 13 January to 1 February 2014.

Ten sides will battle out across the North and South Islands of New Zealand for the remaining two places in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, due to be played in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March 2015.

Nepal’s Warm-up and First Round Fixture

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Over three weeks, 150 players from ICC’s top Associate and Affiliate Members will take part in 34 matches – all with free admission for fans. Seeking to join Ireland and Afghanistan, who have already secured two of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015’s four qualifying places, are: Canada, Hong Kong, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Scotland, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uganda.

In the North Island, matches will be played at Mt Maunganui’s Bay Oval and the iconic terraced Pukekura Park in New Plymouth. In the South Island Christchurch’s Hagley Oval will debut as an international cricket venue.

Matches will also be played in Rangiora, Queenstown and Lincoln, with the Bert Sutcliffe Oval hosting the final of the tournament on 1 February.

The 10 teams have been divided into two groups of five, with the top three progressing into the Super Sixes stage of the tournament.

Speaking at the announcement of the schedule in Dunedin today, ICC President Mr Alan Isaac said: “I am certain this is going to be a fantastic event here in New Zealand. Many of the top Associate and Affiliate Members are evenly matched and I am expecting some thrilling matches during the tournament.

“I know the teams will have some of the best facilities at their disposal here in New Zealand and this event will give the country a taste of what is to come with the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015,” he said.

“With Ireland and Afghanistan already qualified, I’m sure many of the teams competing here will be anxious to join them in the tournament and have the opportunity to perform on the global stage at the ICC’s pinnacle ODI-event.”

New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive David White added: “New Zealand Cricket is delighted to be hosting the ICC CWCQ 2014 and giving fans of cricket across the country an opportunity to watch some of the best 50-over cricketers outside of the Test-playing nations.

“New Zealand Cricket looks forward to welcoming all 10 sides to the country and this will be a wonderful lead-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup which we will be co-hosting with Australia in 2015. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all the teams competing in the event the very best of luck, and may the two best sides qualify for the tournament here in 2015.”

Despite brilliant bowling performance of Som Pal Kami and half centuries from Mahesh Chhetri and Gyanendra Malla, Nepal cricket team suffered a 24-run defeat against visiting side Delhi Wanderers on Tuesday in the Sagarmatha Cement Journey to World Cup Cricket Tournament, organized to help the preparation of Nepal team for the upcoming ICC World Cup Qualifiers.

Nepal coach Pubudu Dassanayake made some changes in the team that defeated Air India in the opening match of the tournament and included Naresh Budhayer, Ram Naresh Giri and Amrit Bhattarai in the team giving rest to captain Paras Khadka, Shakti Gauchan and Avinash Karn.

Stand-in Captain Gyanendra Malla won the toss and Nepal elected to field. Delhi Wanderers was all out for 235 runs in 44.1 overs in the match cut short to 45 overs each due to early morning fog at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. In reply, Nepal bundled out for only 211 runs in 41.4 overs.

Som Pal Kami

Delhi openers Satnam Singh (12 runs) and Rishav Chauhan (16 runs) put up a 31-run partnership but Nepali pacer Amrit Bhattarai claimed their wicket respectively in the first two balls of the seventh over. However, middle order batsmen came strongly and build up the innings. Arjun Gupta garnered 39 runs off 75 balls and Kshitiz Sharma scored 24 runs off 39 balls. Skipper Shivam Sharma blasted 61 runs off 54 balls including eight boundaries and a six to guide the Delhi team toward huge score.

Nepali pacer Som Pal Kami claimed four wickets and Ram Naresh Giri dismissed two others. Stand-in captain Malla also claimed a wicket but a quick-fired 29 runs off 19 balls by IPL player Pawan Negi and 19 runs added by Pawan Kumar down the order helped Delhi Wanderers reach the good total of 235.

Chasing it, Nepali opener Mahesh Chhetri (22 runs off 38 balls) and Anil Mandal gave a slow but useful start with a 47-run partnership. Naresh Budhayer added just four runs. Prithu Baskota and Sharad Vesawkar started well but could not consolidate in the middle. Baskota scored 17 runs off 23 balls and Vesawkar added 13 runs off 24 balls.

Opener Mandal and Gyanendra Malla scored half centuries in the match. Anchoring the innings, Mandal garnered 55 balls off 80 runs including five boundaries while Malla speed up Nepali innings with 51 runs off only 50 balls. Malla hit three boundaries and two sixes.

When Malla got out, Nepal was in need of just 43 runs off 47 balls with four wickets in hand. However, tail-enders, including special batsman Binod Bhandari, failed to survive on the crease.

Former Indian Test cricketer VVS Laxman bats with blindfold with Nepali blind cricketers and others during the innings break at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur on Tuesday to mark the 22nd World Disability Day.

Pawan Negi claimed three wickets for Delhi Wanderers while Shivam Maavi and Nukul Chopra took two wickets each. Abhay Negi took a wicket. Nepali batsmen Chhetri and Kami were short of the crease.

Meanwhile, Air India defeated Singapore by 136 runs on Tuesday at the Pulchowk Engineering Ground. Air India scored mammoth 309/3 in 45 overs as Pradeep Mallik scored 113 runs. In reply, Singapore was all out at 172 runs in 37 overs as Raj Pal claimed four wickets for Air India.

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) announced a 15-member Nepali U-19 squad under the captaincy of Bhuwan Karki on Monday for the upcoming ACC U-19 Asia Cup.

Nepali U-19 team had finished third in the ACC U-19 Cup Elite held in Malaysia in May 2013 and booked its place for the age group Asia Cup. The ACC U-19 Asia Cup will be held in the UAE from December 28, 2013 to January 4, 2014.

Ram Naresh Giri is appointed as the vice-captain of the Nepali U-19 team. Karki and Giri were also the part of Nepali team that played in the ICC U-19 World Cup 2012 held in Australia.

Bivatsu Thapa, Yagyaman Kumal and Amit Shrestha also retained their place in the U-19 squad. Thapa, Kumal and Shrestha were the part of Nepali team that played in the ACC U-19 Cup Elite along with Karki and Giri.

Prakash Bista, Lalit Singh Bhandari, Somesh Yadav, Siddhanta Lohani, Sushil Kandel, Sunil Dhamala, Raju Rijal, Sompal Kami, Prem Tamang and Arif Shekh are the new faces in the squad.

CAN has considered Rahul Pratap Singh, Sushan Bhari, Dileep Nath and Hari Shankar Shah as the reserved players for the squad.

Nepal is placed in the group A of the upcoming tournament alongside India, Pakistan and the host UAE while group B includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Malaysia.

Nepali U-19 will take on Pakistan U-19 in its first match of the tournament on December 28 and India U-19 on the next day. Nepal will lock its horns with the UAE on December 31.

The government has decided to provide Rs 1 million each to 15 players of the Nepali cricket team that qualified for the ICC World T20.

The cabinet meeting on Monday took the decision and congratulated the players and the team for making the country proud. Meanwhile, the government has decided to award Rs 500,000 to coach Pubudu Dassanayake and Rs 350,000 to other four officials of the team.

Nepal has qualified to the ICC World T20 to be held in Bangladesh in March 2014 as it defeated Hong Kong by five wickets last Wednesday in the Qualifiers held in UAE. National Sports Council (NSC) had forwarded a proposal to the government on Thursday to provide cash reward to the team members after Nepal qualified.

Nepal had defeated the UAE by five wickets on Saturday to finish third in the tournament.

According to the government’s Spokesperson and Minister for Information and Communication Madhav Paudel, the Ministry of Youth and Sports would be directed to present a plan before the government on the development of physical infrastructure to hold international cricket tournament and for the development of cricket in Nepal.

Former Indian Test cricketer VVS Laxman congratulated Nepal cricket team for qualifying to the ICC World T20 and suggested Nepali sports authorities to provide as much exposure as possible to the players for more success.

Laxman, who arrived in Kathmandu Monday afternoon as a special guest of the Journey to World Cup Cricket Tournament, handed over man-of-the-match award to Nepali pacer Avinash Karn after the inaugural match and shared opinions with Nepali cricket team and fans.

“I congratulate Nepali team for qualifying to the World T20. I have been following your recent matches,” said Laxman during the presentation ceremony. “The way Paras (Khadka) got reception during the presentation, I remember India in 1983, when India had won the World Cup,” he added.

Referring to Nepal’s participation in the upcoming ICC World Cup Qualifiers, Laxman expressed his belief that Nepal will do well in the New Zealand.

“There is nothing difference between the established side and emerging side. Cricket association of Nepal should provide as much exposure as possible to the players,” said Laxman. “You know your strength and weaknesses only by playing matches,” he added.

Former Indian Test Cricketer VVS Laxman with Nepali cricketers.

Laxman suggested Nepali fans to have patience and not to expect miracles. “We want more teams coming up in the cricket. Once Sri Lanka used to be called minnows but they won World Cup in 1996,” said Laxman. “But miracles will not happen. There should be structured process to develop and you have to be patient,” suggested the Indian legend cricketer, who played 134 Test and 86 ODIs.

Laxman spent around 10 minutes with the Nepali squad after the presentation ceremony. According to Nepali players, Laxman had suggested them not to get over-confident after qualifying to the World T20 and start preparing for the World Cup Qualifiers. He had also shared his ideas about how a player can adapt different format of cricket.

With the support of Indian Embassy, Zohra International, the organizer of the tournament, has invited Laxman to boost morale of the Nepali cricketers. The tournament is organized to help Nepali team to prepare for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers to be held in New Zealand in January 2014.

Nepal cricket team started the Sagarmatha Cement Journey to World Cup Cricket Tournament in winning note as it registered comfortable five-wicket win over Indian club, Air India on Monday at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.

Nepal team, which returned home only on Sunday from the UAE securing berth in the ICC World T20 2014 and finishing third in the Qualifiers, rested Gyanendra Malla, Basanta Regmi, Jitendra Mukhiya, Sharad Vesawkar, Subash Khakurel and Amrit Bhattarai for the inaugural match of the tournament. Wicket-keeper batsman Mahesh Chhetri and spinner Rahul Viswakarma didn’t play single match during the ICC World T20 Qualifiers though they were in the team and coach Pubudu Dassanayake gave them opportunity in the practice tournament. Meanwhile, injury-return Prithu Baskota and U-19 pacer Sompal Kami were also included in the team.

Nepal elected to field and bundled out Air India led by veteran Vijay Dhaiya at 155 runs in 44 overs as pacers Avinash Karn and Sompal Kami shared seven wickets between them. Nepal chased the simple total in 34.5 overs losing only five wickets as opener Chhetri scored half-century.

Young bowler Kami dismissed Air India captain Dhaiya (1 run) in the fourth over and Karn dismissed Hiten Dalal (five runs) and Sandeep Raj Kaushik (eight runs) soon. Jagrit Aanand (17 runs) and Pradeep Malik put up a 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket but Nepali skipper Khadka dismissed Anand in the 21st over. Sagar Pun trapped Shafiq Khan (four runs) LBW to limit Air India at 76/5.

Nepali bowler Sompal Kami

However, Malik and former Indian cricketer Ritender Singh Sodhi put up a 63-run partnership for the sixth wicket in an attempt to resurrect Air India’s innings. As the young bowler Kami dismissed both of them, rest of the Air India team failed bitterly. Malik garnered 57 runs off 90 balls and Sodhi scored 45 runs off 62 balls.

Man-of-the-match Karn was on the peak with a figure of 8-3-12-4. Kami claimed three wickets while Pun took two.

Man-of-the-match Avinash Karn receives the award from former Indian Test cricketer VVS Laxman.

Nepal started well as it chased the small total as Sagar Pun (18 runs off 22 balls) put up a 31-run opening partnership with Chhetri. Anil Mandal garnered another 18 runs off 30 balls for a 49-run second wicket partnership. Chhetri anchored the Nepali innings and put up another 54-run partnership with Prithu Baskota before Sandeep Raj Kaushik bowled him at the individual score of 65 runs off 89 balls. He hit five fours and a six. As Chhetri departed Nepal suffered a mini-collapse in a hurry to reach the target. Baskota added 22 runs off 53 balls including a towering six. Skipper Khadka struck 13 runs off 10 balls including a boundary and a six. Binod Bhandari scored 10 runs off six balls including a boundary and a six to seal the comfortable victory.

Mahesh Chhetri

Shivam Sharma claimed three wickets while Kaushik and Faruk Sheikh took a wicket each.

“Air India is an experience side but we are physically more fit and we have been playing higher level cricket recently,” said Nepal coach Dassanayake. “We all are tired but we are in a situation to complete selection process as soon as possible and start final preparation for the upcoming ICC World Cup Qualifiers,” he added.

Dassanayake said that he has called up players like Naresh Budhayer and Raj Kumar Pradhan for the tournament to get them in the selection process and to give rest to some regular players of the national squad.

Skipper Khadka credited pacers for the success. “We got good start and kept the momentum,” said Khadka. “We want to win in higher level and we have to adapt longer version of the game after the success in T20 format,” he added.

Air India captain Dhaiya said that his team would not repeat the mistakes they have committed against Nepal to stay in the tournament.

Nepal will take on Delhi Wanderers on Tuesday at the TU Cricket Ground.

The ESPN Cricinfo, cricket most prestigious website, named Nepal’s captain Paras Khadka amongst the Best XI of the World T20 Cup Qualifiers that concluded on Saturday in the UAE.

In the list prepared by Peter Della Penna, Kadka is the one of the only two players to retain place in the list from the last year’s tournament best XI while Paul Stirling of Ireland to be the next.

Khadka and spinner Shakti Gauchan were in Della Penna’s list after the 2012 edition of the World T20 Qualifiers.

In the recent list prepared by Della Penna, three Netherlands players Wesley Barresi, Mudassar Bukhari and Ahsan Malik are included along with Tony Ura (PNG), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Max Sorensen (Ireland), Matt Machan (Scotland), Khurram Khan (UAE), Samiullah Shenwari (Afghanistan) and Munir Dar (Hong Kong).

Khadka scored 232 runs and claimed 11 wickets in the tournament. “His raw stats don’t tell the full story as his numbers are not as glamorous compared to others in the list, not to mention those outside of the XI,” wrote Della Penna in the website. With more than half of Nepal’s games being broadcast either online or on television at this tournament, many cricket fans outside of Kathmandu will have gotten their first glimpse of why this man means so much to his country,” he added.

“After a first-day win over Denmark, Khadka stayed to the end with 54 not out as Nepalchased Kenya’s 182. The performance validated Nepal’s ambitions of finishing in the top six, though they might not have progressed to Bangladesh without his Man-of-the-Match performance against Hong Kong, when he anchored the chase of 143 with a cool 46 in 39 balls,” stated the cricket writer.

The arrival lounge at the Tribhuvan International Airport reverberated with chants of “We will hit sixes and fours, we will play the World Cup” as the national cricket team landed in Kathmandu on Sunday evening.

The cricket team that qualified for the World T20, the World Cup of short-format cricket, and finished third in the ICC World T20 Qualifiers held in the UAE, received a heroes´ welcome and huge applauds from the hundreds of supporters upon its arrival at 6:05 pm.

The fans had reached the airport with national flags in their hands and waited patiently for more than three hours at the airport premises braving the chill to welcome the team home. They held placards and banners with words of praise for the national team. Some of the fans followed the bus carrying the team all the way from the airport to their hotel in Naxal. A musical band of the Nepal Army played in their honor.

“We could never forget such love and appreciation of the fans. It is the love of fans that has motivated us to keep going,” said skipper Paras Khadka. “We got the same type of support in Dubai and made us feel that we were playing at home.”

“We had been waiting for such a moment and finally succeeded. No non-Test playing nation has the cricket craze that we have in Nepal. Nepal could be the best neutral venue,” Khadka said.

Coach Pubudu Dassanayake, who guided the team to its first T20 World Cup, said, “It is a great feeling to see the supporters. They have been supporting and appreciating our effort,” the Sri Lanka-born Canadian said. “They are our strength and we are looking forward to satisfy them climbing one ladder after another.”

“We have reached a level and gained international recognition, which is very important. This is just the beginning of good momentum. Our next target is to gain ODI status,” said Dassanayake, adding, “It was a tough tournament. Though there were a couple of hiccups, everything fell in place at the right time.”

“We had one aim for the last one-and-half years and had worked really hard for it. There are many unsung heroes in the team. Though every team was competitive, we stuck to our plans and did what we wanted,” skipper Khadka shared.

Despite the enthusiastic participation of fans, management at the airport was poor. Media persons who had waited there for hours could not talk to the team at the airport due to mismanagement by Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), the cricket governing body.

Sharad Vesawkar, who played a crucial role in the team´s victories in three matches, said the long-cherished dream of the team has finally been fulfilled. “Since I was a child, everyone used to ask me when we would the play World Cup. Now I have the reply,” Vesawkar said.

Vesawkar rescued Nepal during matches against Kenya, Hong Kong and the UAE, sealing victory in the last over with a confident display of batting on each occasion. “Every team member played consistently with equal contribution,” Vesawkar said. Regarding his match-winning innings, he said, “We had no other option, and all I had in mind was the ball.”

(As Prajwal Oli reported on Republica Daily)

Sharad Vesawkar once again managed his composure and attacking streak to enable Nepal take the third position at the ICC World T20 Qualifiers, beating UAE by five wickets at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Vesawkar hammered two consecutive sixes in last over – something that he has become accustomed to now – as Nepal needed 11 runs in the last over, to overhaul the 132 run target set by UAE. The sixes came off Shadeep Silva, who had bowled 3 overs earlier for mere 10 runs. Nepal reached the target with 4 balls to spare. Vesawkar managed 43 off 29 deliveries that included three hits to the fence and three over the fence. Such is Vesawkar’s confidence and dominance that he hit 3 sixes off last 5 deliveries he faced in the match.

This is not the first time Vesawkar excelled in his new role as ‘finisher’ in the game. During the match against Hong Kong, where Nepal’s fixed a place in the World T20, Vesawkar collected 12 runs including the winning run in the last over. Similarly, in the group match against Kenya, where Nepal chased down 183, Vesawakar smashed 23 runs off six deliveries including three sixes and a double in the last over. Nepal required 17 run for victory in the last over and Vesawakar had collected 20 runs off four deliveries.

Earlier in Saturday’s match, Nepal had almost lost its way in the chase after a steady start. At one point half of Nepali team, including captain Paras Khadka (2), Gyanendra Malla (4), were back in the pavilion with score reading 97 in 16.2 overs.

Openers Sagar Pun and Subash Khakurel scored 18 and 38. Anil Mandal remained unbeaten with Vesawkar with run-a-ball 13.

Earlier, UAE put up 131, after being send in to bat. Basanta Regmi was the pick of the bowlers, claiming four wickets to restrict UAE to 131 for 5. Regmi gave away 16 runs in his four over spell, to eventually claim man of the match award. Shakti Gauchan picked one wicket in his three overs conceding 31 runs. Gauchan gave away 18 runs in the 14th over. Avinash Karn conceded 17 runs, Jeetendra Mukhiya 29 runs and skipper Khadka 26 runs during their spells of four overs each.

UAE opener Abdul Shakoor scored the highest 28 runs in his 39-ball knock that included a six and a four. Rohan Mustafa and Shaiman Anwar contributed 24 runs apiece. Mustafa hit two fours in his 19-ball knock and Anwar smashed one six and two boundaries facing 16 deliveries. Swapnil Patil (22) and Mohammad Shafiq (16) remained unbeaten for UAE. Other opener Amjad Javed contributed 14 runs.

Both Nepal and UAE have already qualified for the World T20, to be held next year in Bangladesh.

In the semifinal, Nepal was defeated by Afghanistan and UAE by Ireland.

Afghanistan managed its complete dominance over Nepal in T20 format of cricket, defeating Nepal by seven wickets in the semifinal of ICC World T20 Qualifiers on Friday played at the Sheikd Jayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

It was Nepal’s fifth defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in the shortest format of cricket. Earlier, Nepal was defeated at the hands of Afghanistan during the group stage of the same tournament a week ago. Continue reading →

Himali Khadka Vesawkar is not a well known name among Nepali sports fans, but her son is. Sharad Vesawkar is a household name among cricket fanatics, and his heroics against Hong Kong at the ICC World T20 Qualifiers in Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday, has shot him to stardom.

Over the years, there have been many critics who doubted Sharad´s caliber. But, his mother always had faith that her son had it in him to do his country proud.

“I woke up early on Wednesday as I had to go a nearby temple and pray for the Nepali cricket team,” said Himali, the proud mother of the cricketer.

“I made laddoos (sweetmeats) to offer to the Lord Ganesh and my sisters also helped me.”

Himali Khadka Vesawkar, Sharad Vesawkar’s mother.

As she devoted the entire day to prayers, she was quite sure about the victory of the Nepali team in the cricket match.

“I was just feeling very positive throughout the match,” she shared and added that she had even dreamt about her deceased husband which she thought was a good omen.
“If I see him (husband) in my dreams, something positive happens the next day. Like on Tuesday night I saw him and on the next day Nepal qualified for the ICC World T20 2014,” she said.

After Nepal defeated Hong Kong, telephone continuously buzzed at her home. The whole day, she was busy in answering the calls by her family members, friends and well wishers, who had called to congratulate her family.

“The excitement of the people makes me happier. Sharad also called me after finishing the match with his voice thrilled with joy and excitement. I congratulated the whole team,” she said.

Soft-spoken Himali said that for her, who scored the highest or played well in the match is not important, but Nepal qualifying for the World Cup actually matters.

“My son secured the last run but it could have been anybody scoring that. That does not matter to me,” she said. “All the players are like my own son. I pray not only for my son but for the whole team. I believe cricket is a team game so everyone must give their best and make their country proud.”

Emotional Sharad Vesawkar, after hitting the winning runs for Nepal against Hong Kong on 27th November. Pic courtesy: CricketingNepal

Born as a second child to Dilip and Himali Vesawkar in the UAE, coincidentally the same country where he reached the World Cup milestone on Wednesday, Sharad started playing cricket from his early years, says Himali.

Dilip, an engineer in a chemical company, and Himali, a homemaker, always encouraged him to play well. In every match he played, he gathered accolades for his performance.
Sharad used to be compared to Rahul Dravid, for his batting style and composure, in his early days as a cricketer. Having played continuously for around a decade, he became a bona fide Nepali citizen only this year. However, it was not easy for him to acquire citizenship as he had to struggle a lot because he was born to an Indian father and a Nepali mother. And the decision to grant him Nepali citizenship has been vindicated by his superb performance in the World T20 Qualifiers.

“He did not lose hope and finally he got it. He did not let me know about the entire problem which he had been facing with citizenship. All of his seniors and well wishers supported him in getting the citizenship,” says Himali.

Now that he has a Nepali citizenship, his fans would wish he keeps scoring runs in important matches for the country.

Ed: This write-up appeared in Republica, written by Pratibha Rawal.

Nepal witnessed its biggest success in sports history, when the Nepal cricket team made it to the World T20, the shortest format of Cricket World Cup, defeating Hong Kong in the ICC World T20 Qualifiers.

The match was witnessed by thousands of Nepali fans on television in Nepal. The achievement is laudable as it has come merely 17 years after Nepal started playing international tournaments.

Nepal overcame a big hurdle, entering the World Cup, to the excitement of all who follow the game. But the road ahead is likely to be challenging. The team will now be facing bigger teams, which are better equipped, both technically and skill-wise. Nepal must prepare hard to take on the stronger sides like Bangladesh or Zimbabwe in the group stage of World T20.

Himali Khadka, mother of Sharad Veshwakar, and other cricket lovers lights oil lamp at Pashupati to celebrate and pray for Team Nepal.
Nepal qualified for the ICC World T20, beating Hong Kong by five wicket in ICC World T20 Qualifiers match in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, 27th November.
Photo: Bikash Karki

All the qualified six teams will be pitted alongside either Bangladesh or Zimbabwe in the group round. Only the top two among them will get to play with teams like Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, India, India, Pakistan and Australia.

“Given the facilities provided to Nepali cricketers, the achievement is outstanding,” said Pawan Agrawal, former Nepal skipper. “Now, the biggest challenge will be to maintain the standard after achieving this height.”

General Secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Ashok Nath Pyakurel also agrees with Agrawal. But he says it can be sorted out by giving more exposure to the team.
“Our immediate plan is to take steps to motivate players.

We will announce this shortly. We will arrange for more international exposure with better teams. We are going to field the national team in 50-over tournament “Journey to World Cup”. Besides, we are also planning to take the team abroad for practice matches with stronger sides,” said Pyakurel.

Nepal´s infrastructure is not on par with any other country that has qualified for the World T20. Nepal boasts of a single international stadium in Kirtipur and that too is short of basic facilities.

Agrawal stressed the need for better management of the game. ´There should be a rapid change in the domestic structure of cricket. Infrastructure needs to be developed and plans made for skill development. The concept of academy is vital for skill development,” suggested Agrawal.

Pyakurel said the focus should be on infrastructure development, but says CAN cannot take on the challenges alone. “CAN can not maintain the status Nepali cricket has achieved alone. We will request the government to accord special priority to construction of an indoor training center immediately,” Pyakurel said, attributing lack of resources as reason for fewer domestic tournaments.

Meanwhile, Sanjam Regmi, who was part of the team before being left out due to eye infection holds a different view. He stressed the need for commercialization of cricket.
“There are no more than 25 established players for the competitive tournaments. Corporate houses should form their own teams. Currently, Nepali cricket players have fame but no financial assurance,” Regmi said.

“There have been few changes with corporate houses rewarding players since 2010. But that is not enough,” Regmi said.“Generally, corporate houses promise conditional rewards for special performance. But that has to be unconditional. Players should get motivational incentives without any condition.

Nepali team has proved its mettle by making it to World T20,” said Regmi.

Besides, Nepal will have to switch its game immediately from the 50-over format to 20-over format for the World T20. Just before heading for Bangladesh for World T20, Nepal will be playing Cricket World Cup Qualifiers, which is a 50-over format, in January and February in New Zealand.

Ed: This write-up appeared in Republica, as ‘Story of the Week’, written by Prajwal Oli

Nepal will look to avenge group stage defeat against Afghanistan when they lock horns in the semifinal of ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers on Friday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Nepal had suffered a nine-wicket defeat against the well known foes on 22nd of November in the penultimate group match reduced to seven overs due to rainfall and wet outfield.

During their group stage encounter both the teams were under must win situation to confirm berth in the World T20. But now both teams of group B have qualified.

Looking at the past records, Afghanistan holds an edge over Nepal. The two sides have met five times in the short format event and Afghanistan has won all of them.

Before the group stage of the ongoing qualifiers, last time these two sides met was during the ACC T20 final in April in Kathmandu.

Then, Nepal was defeated by seven wickets at home ground in Kirtipur. In the last year´s qualifiers of the same tournament, Nepal was defeated by 34 runs at the hands of Afghanistan.

But free from pressure to qualify for the next stage, the teams will be looking to lift the title of the qualifiers. As Afghanistan will aim to give continuity to its dominance, Nepal will aim to make a new start aiming to beat Afghanistan for the first time.

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has decided to reward all the members of the team that qualified for World T20. The team members are to get Rs 100,000 each in cash.

CAN issued a statement to make the declaration.

The “The emergency meeting of CAN has decided to reward the players with 100,000 each and hike their monthly salary from Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000,” the statement said.

Similarly, the meeting has also decided to increase the player revolving fund worth Rs 1 million to Rs 2 million.

Nepal qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh with a thrilling, five-wicket win over Hong Kong off the last ball in the quarterfinal of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Sent in to bat, Hong Kong lost its first wicket in the second over, with Irfan Ahmed falling to Jitendra Mukhiya, the medium-pacer, for 8. Avinash Karn then struck after three overs to remove Jamie Atkinson, the Hong Kong captain, to leave the side struggling at 25 for 2 in 4.1 overs. Waqas Barkat and Nizakat Khan scored 25 runs each as Mukhia and Karn continued troubling the batsmen with disciplined bowling. Late cameos from Munir Dar (20) and Tanwir Afzal (25) took Hong Kong to 143 for 8 in its 20 overs.

Nepali fans cheering for Team Nepal. Photo: Raman Shivakoti

Mukhiya was the pick of the bowlers for Nepal bagging 3 for 32 runs in his four overs.

Nepal got off to a steady start in its chase with a 32-run opening stand between Sagar Pun and Subash Khakurel, the wicketkeeper. Gyanendra Malla chipped in with an innings of 30 from 27 balls after Afzal castled Khakurel for 16 in the fifth over. Paras Khadka, the Nepal captain, played a responsible hand of 46 before he was run-out by Babar Hayat in the 19th over, leaving Nepal 128 for 5, needing 16 to win off nine balls.

Paras Khadka returning after getting out in penultimate over. Photo: Raman Shivakoti

Sharad Vesawkar and Pradeep Airee then took charge, remaining unbeaten till the end with Vesawkar easing the pressure by smashing a six and a four off the first two balls of the final over from Haseeb Amjad. He took a single off the last ball to take Nepal to its target of 144 and seal the win.

Nepal thereby joined Afghanistan and Ireland to become the third team to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 2014.

Khadka, who was named the Man of the Match for his innings, was thrilled with Nepal’s qualification, the first time it had entered the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.

“This is the biggest moment of our lives. It’s all our childhood dreams come true. I think the boys have worked really hard for this, over the past two months, the past two years, we’ve been really pushing it in the World Cricket League and the Twenty20 format. I think that when it mattered, everyone contributed, and I am really glad we are there,” said Khadka.

Paras Khadka gets Man of the Match award. Photo: Raman Shivakoti

Reflecting on the dramatic victory, he said: “That’s cricket for you. You can never take things for granted, you have to win it as soon as you can. In the end, it really doesn’t matter if it’s on the last ball or any ball.”

The jubilant Team Nepal. Photo: Raman Shivakoti

Khadka added that while the side was overjoyed at qualifying, it would go straight back to training to keep focused on the remainder of the current tournament. “The tournament is still not over, we have a chance, we are in the semifinals now, we are most likely playing Afghanistan, so it’s about time we give them what they’ve been giving us all these years. So we’d like to go out there, win the semifinals, and go on to win the final.”

Nepali cricket team is on the brink of its maiden T20 World Cup, with only Hong Kong standing between it and glory.

Wednesday’s clash against Hong Kong in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE is the biggest match of the national squad in its 17-year history.

If Nepal wins the match, it will qualify for the T20 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh next year. The losing side will get another playoff opportunity to secure berth in the sporting extravaganza.

Nepal’s skipper Paras Khadka says his men will have to play to the best of their abilities if they are to defeat Hong Kong, which finished as Group A runner-up in the first round of the qualifiers.

“The dream of taking our team to the World Cup is just a game away. We have to give more than 100 percent for tomorrow [Wednesday]’s match,” said Khadka on the eve of the game.

“We cannot take Hong Kong lightly because they have been playing good game in their group matches,” he added.

After reaching this milestone, former captain Binod Das asserts that Nepal will not give a second chance to Hong Kong.

“Both Hong Kong and Nepal are on the same level but we can count on our superior batting for our success. We must not let this chance slip through our hands,” he said.

Unlike Nepal which finished third in the group phase to make it to the second round, Hong Kong was left cursing its fate for missing out on a World Cup spot, which was almost in its grasp.

Had it finished top of its group, Hong Kong would have already progressed to the finals but Ireland played the spoilsport defeating it by 85 runs for a disappointing second-place finish and a clash against Nepal.

This is the fifth meeting between the two teams, with both having won two matches each in the past four encounters.

Nepal had defeated Hong Kong by 28 runs in the last edition of the tournament but it avenged the defeat in the next meeting with a six-wicket victory over Nepal during the ACC T20 Cup held in Kathmandu seven months ago.

However, Nepal’s coach Pubudu Dassanayake is not bothered about the past records and is looking forward to Wednesday’s game with renewed enthusiasm.
“Hong Kong is a good team and we have the experience of playing against them. We know their strengths and weaknesses,” said Dassanayake.

“We have some game plans against them and we want to execute them to win the game and book our ticket to the T20 World Cup. We have to put in all our efforts to win the match,” he added.

Hong Kong has a slight advantage over Nepal as it played some of its group matches at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, while Nepal only reached the capital city from Dubai on Monday.

Nepal’s major problem during the qualifiers has been its batting glitches in the middle of the innings. Hong Kong’s spinners Munir Dar and Nadeem Ahmed could exploit this to their advantage and cause problems for Nepal.

Entire country seems to be gripped by cricket fever, thanks to Team Nepal playing in the World T20 qualifiers and just one victory away from playing its maiden World T20.
Nepal faces Hong Kong on Wednesday in the second round of the ICC World T20 Qualifiers in the UAE, and a win in this match will secure Nepal’s place in the finals to be held next year in Bangladesh.
Not only cricket fans but those with little or no knowledge of cricket are eagerly waiting for Nepal’s upcoming match.
However, three well-known Nepali cricketers — former captain Binod Das, Prithu Baskota and Sanjam Regmi — have missed the qualifiers due to injuries.
Das and Regmi have been regular members of the Nepali squad for the last decade. Baskota has also established himself as one of the key players of the team over the past couple of years.

The ones missing out the big occasion: (L-R) Binod Das, Prithu Baskota, Sanjam Regmi

They shared their feelings on not being part of the team on one of the biggest moments in Nepali cricket. Excerpts:
Binod Das
(He picked up a hamstring injury two months ago while playing for Birgunj in the last group match of the National T20 Championship against Nepalgunj.)
I played for so long for the country. And as the right time approached to realize our dreams, injury forced me out of the team. I would not have lamented if I had been left out failing to compete with emerging talents of the team, where there are many new faces. I am having a really hard time consoling myself in this situation. Everyone might feel the same as I do. But I am still optimistic that I could be a part of the team if Nepal qualifies for the World T20. I know about 90 percent of players become victims of hamstring injuries during their playing career. But it is my misfortune that I picked up hamstring injury twice, and both on vital occasions.

Prithu Baskota
(He injured his knee during the closed-camp training of the national team in mid-September. He was injured while playing football during training at the TU ground in Kirtipur. The MRI report concluded that his right knee ligament was completely torn. If he had undergone surgery, he could have been out of action for at least six months. But the physiotherapist reached the conclusion after clinical correlation that his injury was not as severe as imagined previously. Latest developments following suggestions from doctors in Delhi and various physiotherapies have shown strong signs that he could make his comeback in two months. Baskota is currently training at TU with the aim of regaining his place in the squad while his teammates are in the UAE.)
I really miss the team as it was like a family. We had a great camaraderie. Nepal is on the verge of qualifying for the World T20. I wish I were in the team even if I did not get a chance to play. I would lose a lifetime opportunity if Nepal makes it to the World Cup. Though I miss the team dearly, I watch them play. One could know a lot about weaknesses watching on television. The next time I play, it will be easy for me as I have watched the live matches.

Sanjam Regmi
(He missed the National T20 Tournament as well as the closed-camp training for the ongoing World T20 Qualifiers due to eye infection. Doctors had advised him to rest at home for two weeks and not to get exposed to sunlight or artificial light. He had to sit out the National T20 Tournament, which was was the basis of players selection for the ongoing qualifiers, but he claims to have motivated skipper Paras Khadka for off-spin bowling.)

It is not a good idea to play with injury. It is really disappointing not to be in the team when we are close to creatig history. I am disappointed not to be in the team along with Binod Das, with whom I have played for a long time in the team. Das, Shakti Gauchan and I started our national team careers at almost the same time. We were together in the team during the U-19 World Cup in 2002. But I feel somewhat satisfied that Gauchan is still representing us in the team. Basanta Regmi is also a senior player and I miss him badly too. When I watch (live) Paras Khadka bowling off-spin, it really feels great.

During last year’s qualifiers of the same tournament, we were kept in an apartment with kitchen and dining facility. I learnt then that cricket was not just a game of bat and ball, but also of unity. Though there was arrangement for dining outside, we occasionally cooked food ourselves to keep the team unity intact on the suggestion of coach Pubudu Dassanayake. Gauchan used to cook meat, Anil Mandal dal and Bhat and others did other things. Khadka used to come to test the food. Everyone used to clean their dishes. I really miss that now.

With inputs from Prajwal Oli

Nepal finished third in Group B of the ICC World T20 Cup Qualifiers in UAE – thanks to results of two matches coming in Nepal’s favors.
Nepal will now meet Hong Kong on November 27 with the victorious team ensuring a place for World T20 Cup 2014 Bangladesh. Continue reading →

Nepal secured a playoff spot in the World T20 Cup Qualifiers to remain in contention for the qualification to the world stage by beating Bermuda.

Nepal beat Bermuda by 21 runs in its last group match in Dubai to advance into the second round of the ICC World T20 Qualifiers. Continue reading →