Aiming ACC Trophy 2006

Nepali team left for Pakistan to prepare for the upcoming ACC Trophy on August 5.

Cricket has had the glory years and has been able to bring home international success. Perhaps, more than anyone had hoped for.

If there is anything remaining for Nepali cricket to achieve, it is obviously winning the ACC Trophy and the World Cup qualification. This month, the senior national team has the chance to lift the ACC Trophy and move a step closer to the elusive qualification.

The sixth ACC Trophy is being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from August 14-26, and Nepal is leaving no stone unturned for the best possible preparation for the event. The 14-member team, along with officials and assistant coach, left for Pakistan today for three practice matches ahead of the event to make up for the loss of practice during the monsoon in the country.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been dominant in the ACC Trophy ever since Bangladesh won three titles and eventually got Test status. From 2000, UAE has completed a hat trick defeating Hong Kong in 2000, Nepal in 2002 and Oman in 2004 in the finals. The 2002 event was the best one for Nepal while it reached semifinals in 2000 and quarterfinals in 2004.

“Our first target is to qualify for the World Cup Qualifying Series II,” captain Binod Das, who will be playing his fifth ACC Trophy, says. “We are ready to win the tournament for that.” One team from the event will qualify for the WCQS II, the first step for 2011 World Cup qualification. For that the team has to finish either at the top or behind UAE and Oman, if they play final, as they have already qualified for WCQS II.

There are more reasons for Binod, the most-capped Nepali player, to win the trophy. “We always are strong contender at the Asian level, our age-group teams have won everything,” he points out. “But the senior team has not emulated their success so far. So, I believe we can fill that gap this time.”

The captain is optimistic about Nepal’s chances and ranks UAE, Malaysia and Afghanistan as the main threats. “UAE and Malaysia are always good, while Afghanistan has done well in its recent tour of England,” he says adding that with adequate preparation and a talented pool of players, Nepal has every chance of seeing them off.

The team will lack the service of Under-19 captain Kanishka Chaugai, who pulled out to pursue further study in USA. Mahesh Chhetri has replaced him while Akash Gupta, the talented batsman who learnt the tricks of the game in India, is the only new face. “All the 14 players in the team are competent enough to fight at that level,” Binod claims. “We will have to extract best out of them.”

Member Secretary of National Sports Council Jivan Ram Shrestha talks to the cricketers at the airport.

He believes Nepal’s biggest asset will be the confidence of U-19 players who won the Plate Championship at the Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka. “Their experience and energy will be the biggest weapon as they have just performed at the big level,” the captain adds.

Batting has always been Nepal’s Achilles heel, more so now as the senior team played its last one-day match more than one and a half years ago. “Batsmen are highly skilled and have capacity to bat at the level though they may lack temperament,” Binod defends. “We have played three-day matches and that greatly helps in one-day matches.”

The tour that Nepal national team has just embarked upon is important to shape the future of Nepali cricket and the fans are hoping that this time, the team will make the nation proud. Let’s hope for the best.

Squad: Binod Das (captain, medium-pacer), Shakti Gauchan (vice-captain, all-rounder), Paresh Lohani (batsman), Mehboob Alam (all-rounder), Manoj Vaishya (wicket-keeper), Sarad Vasawkar (batsman), Paras Khadka (all-rounder), Gyanendra Malla (batsman), Mahesh Chhetri (wicket-keeper/batsman), Raj Kumar Pradhan (leg-spinner), Akash Gupta (batsman), Basanta Regmi (all-rounder), Dhirendra Chand (medium-pacer) and Raju Basnet (leg-spinner).