This interview is originally published in the official website of Asian Cricket Council.
Binaya Raj Pandey became President of the Cricket Association of Nepal in September 2006, having previously been an Honorary Secretary of the Association for 39 years. Small in stature, soft-spoken and exquisitely mannered, he brings with him the shrewdest of minds, the most adroit diplomac skills and an ability to slowly but surely, get things done.
We spoke to him in Kuala Lumpur soon after the start of his term in office when he sought to outline his plans to overhaul cricket in Nepal to the ACC Secretariat. On his return to Kathmandu things indeed started happening – major sponsorships were announced, domestic cricket was revamped and work was started on a new training centre for national cricketers.
First off, why has it taken you 39 years to become President, when surely you may have been ready after only 29 years for example?
Well, cricket in Nepal only became a serious sport in the past ten years or so and in that time and before the previous CAN President, Mr. Jai Kumar Nath Shah personally executed his duties most satisfactorily. In recent years however, the focus for Nepal has changed. We have found that we can get up to one point but no further and it was felt by the National Sports Council that the time had come to give Nepal cricket some fresh opportunity to reach the heights it is capable of.
What is Nepal cricket capable of?
We can play in the Asia Cup and the World Cup. We can win senior finals. Right now we are semi-finalists in things like the ACC Trophy. Our U-19s have beaten four Test-countries at U-19 World Cups.
When did you first become aware of cricket?
I think it was in school. I studied in a missionary school and so it was played there. I also played in college and soon I started a club therefore playing regularly.
We hear Mr. Shah was a big cricketer back in the day.
We started together, he became the President and I the Secretary. There wasn’t anyone to organize games and that is how I became involved. So, as a player, for me to play games, I had to organize them.
What do you bring to Nepal cricket?
By profession I am a businessman and I own a few businesses. But I’ve been keen on cricket and that is why I spend so much time on it to see what useful input I can provide so that it becomes a vibrant organization.
What are the areas for improvement you see to be necessary in Nepal’s cricket?
Basically we are following the same pattern as far as the ACC Development Program is concerned. But somewhere in between, the improvements and changes that need to be made in order for the Program to be more effective has been missing. This is a major lapse responsible for Nepal not being where they should be.
Does a boy still need to be in a missionary school now to play cricket?
We are still a poor country and many schools do not have the ability fund cricket and it will still take a while to spread cricket to that level. The difference between now and when I was a boy is that the public are much more aware of cricket. It is on the front and back pages of the newspapers, it is on Nepali television, there are big crowds and there are increasing sponsorships. It is the one sport in the world in which Nepal is winning things.
If I’m a Nepali boy or girl and I see cricket is popular and exciting, how do I start?
Currently if you look at the structure of most of the boys come from the region near India where they play club or school cricket. They also go across to India and play there and some of them brought it back into Nepal. So we always knew there were good players. And once the exposure came they went along with it. Right now, there is more opportunity but we have to shape and manage it if the next generation of cricketers is to come along and be even better.
Because other countries are always improving?
Because I expect other countries are always be trying to improve. Other countries may slip, perhaps they will. Development is a constant process in which one season’s setback can seriously hold you back. Nepal has made a good start but as I’ve said, now is the time to maximise this development and not stay stuck in the groove. We at CAN are now looking to make steady progress so that a year, two years from now, the cricketers can perform better.
If you were to take cricket to a remote village in the mountains, how long do you think it would take for them to actually start playing the game?
Most people have had access to cricket through the TV and sports channels like ESPN, STAR, Ten Sports and even Doordarshan. So they do know a little bit about the game and how it’s played. But the stumbling block at this time is that there is a lack of cricket grounds. But once these are provided it will much easier for us to teach and train them.
What is the Board doing to elevate Nepal as a cricketing nation?
Basically we are trying to stay close to the Indian Cricket Board because it is here where the boys get a chance to announce their skills. And it is not very expensive to send them there as it’s just over the border. I’d love to send the team to places like South Africa but practically it’s just not possible and when we have cricketing giants like India and Pakistan so nearby, it is the best option.
Do you feel India, Pakistan and Bangladesh could do more for cricket in Nepal?
They could do more but I can’t blame them because we have not tried enough up to now. We need to make the initial moves to fit into their programs for it to benefit us as well as not disrupt their work. And this is going to be one of my priorities to talk to the cricketing boards and see what it is that can be done for both nations to benefit.
Which do you prefer – sending Nepalis outside to play their cricket or inviting international cricketers into Nepal?
Earlier we were inviting teams into Nepal because sending our boys out doesn’t help in popularizing the game. When teams come over it helps the crowd to get an idea of the game and learn it as they watch it in progress. But I think the time has come to send the team abroad for them to gain match experience and playing in another country is a completely different feeling and much is a lot to learnt. So, we are now talking to sponsors to help us send the team out of the country.
Has cricket helped unite Nepal as a country?
Yes it has because it is nice to hear news of Nepal performing well in a sport as the nation is not that big in sport in the international realm. At the ACC U-19 Cup, one could see the enthusiasm amongst the crowd because Nepal reaching the Final itself was big news and winning it was the best possible thing for the kids.
Slipping into business-speak for the moment, Nepal’s Unique Selling Point as a nation seems to be its geography, the Himalayas, the hills and mountains and so on. Nepal’s coach Roy Dias was once famously asked by the BBC ‘how do they even play cricket in Nepal, aren’t there hills everywhere?’ so that’s the common perception of the country. Could Nepal position itself as a high-altitude training centre?
It’s my understanding that sports-science stresses the benefits of altitude-training. I see that as a big possibility because you can go from 4000 ft. to 9000 ft. in just about an hour’s drive and I don’t think this is available anywhere else in Asia and maybe not the world. Asian Games athletes could come here, the world’s cricketers could come here. Maybe soon Nepal can certainly be a high-altitude training centre.
For all of Nepal’s age-group success, what’s holding you back from making that leap from age-group success to senior-team dominance?
It is basically two areas we will be working on. We are trying to build a domestic league but there is a lack of grounds. With funds being released by the ACC, we will have four grounds soon. We are also asking sponsors to help us out in this area to help build the grounds because the only money we get at the moment are the funds from the ICC and the ACC. If you don’t have proper grounds you can’t have proper cricket and if you can’t have proper cricket you can’t have proper performance.
Do administrators need to have a cricketing background?
Yes I think it helps. They have a better understanding of most situations we are in and the explanation that is needed is kept to a minimum.
If Nepal were a little more commercially active, would it be of any help to the Board?
It will but we have not reached that stage. Right now we’re at the roots aiming to popularize the game. Only later on does commercialism come into play but as you can see, even right now we are in need of sponsors to be able to hold an event. So it’s basically a 50-50 position we’re in at the moment. At this time popularizing the game is more important but finances must be made available in order for us to go ahead with our programs.
What have been the highlights during your involvement in Nepali cricket?
I think it was the first time we defeated Kenya in the U-19s. It came as a big reward for the hard work that had been done. The 2002 Asia Cup as well as the ACC Trophy that year was yet another positive experience for all of us. Over the past year, the work that we have done has brought the game up back home. Both the ICC and the ACC now see Nepal as a nation where cricket has a future and for us, to see our hard work appreciated and yielding results, there’s no better gift.