Ehsan Mani, the president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and CEO Malcolm Speed praised Nepal’s performance in the age-group level and hoped that the country would translate the success in the senior level as well.
“Nepal qualified for the Youth Asia Cup for the fourth time and their records in the past have been excellent,” Mani said. “This shows the potential of the young cricketers is huge and Nepal should make sure that it is carried to the senior level.”
Mani and Speed were speaking in the press conference organized after the conclusion of the two-day long ICC Development Committee meeting. Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) made a presentation to the team on Thursday about cricket in Nepal and the development plans. “Presentation on Nepal was very informative, I congratulate CAN for what they are doing here,” Mani said.
“The most impressing thing is that the semifinal and the final of the ACC U-19 Cup was watched by 15,000 to 20,000 spectators,” Speed said. “Nepal’s passion for cricket is very impressive.”
“Over the next three years it would be very interesting to see how Nepal performs at the senior level,” Speed, who will inspect the site at Mulpani allocated for the ACC Central Academy on Saturday, added.
Speed, who chairs the committee, however didn’t disclosed the decisions made the meeting. “We dealt with wide range of issues, saw presentations on Nepal and China, discussed the players’ eligibility for the ICC events,” he said adding that the committee decided on the structure of the ICC tournaments including InterContinental Cup and World Cricket League.
The ICC Development Committee basically deals with the popularization of the sports and issues relating to it. The committee consists of 10-members, including representatives from each of five regions, women cricket, MCC and associate members.
The committee: Malcolm Speed (chairman), Tim Kumalo (African representative), Val Banks (Americas representative), Sultan Rana (Asian representative), Geoff Tamblyn (EAP representative), John Wright (European representative), John Cribbin (Associate Delegate), Roger Knight (MCC Delegate), Betty Timmer (ICC Women’s Committee Chair) and Matthew Kennedy (Ex-Officio – ICC Development Manager).