Nepal hosts visiting Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Academy in the first of three one-dayers at the TU Ground on Thursday.
Nepal national team hopes to get much-needed match practices and exposure to a better team ahead of the World Cricket League Division 5. Boosting services of five ODI players, Pakistani side is looking to end their tour on high note after notching a tri-series and two four-day matches in Bangladesh.
“Nepal is an upcoming nation and in last few years has improved a lot in grassroots level,” PCB Academy manager Syed Azhar Hussain Zaidi said ahead of the series. “Nepal public will witness keenly contested high-level of cricket.”
Coached by Ijaz Ahmad, who played 250 ODIs and 60 Tests for Pakistan, the visitors had a practice session on Thursday. “Conditions are right and the ball will turn a lot,” Ahmad said. “I want them [Nepal] to do well against us.”
He added that the series would be good experience for Nepal ahead of an important event. “Nepal is going to have good experience and I will also help the cricket team,” he said.
Nepal’s inspiration Sri Lankan coach Roy Dias is looking forward to the series as an opportunity for players. “What we need is exposure and this is an opportunity for players to learn and improve.”
Adding that he is taking the series as a practice and would give opportunity to all 14 players, Dias hoped that Nepal could give the visitors good games.
After the series, Nepal will leave for Jersey to compete in the WCL Div 5 – the only remaining path for the nation leading to 2011 World Cup. “Division 5 is very important for us and these three matches will boost our confidence,” Nepal’s manager Tanka Paneru said.
Meanwhile, Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) president Binaya Raj Pandey informed that CAN is working on three-year itinerary for exchange program with Bangladesh and Pakistan. “Hopefully within a year, we will have bilateral series with at least three of our four neighboring Test nations,” he said adding that CAN is also looking for tri-series against age-group and academy sides.
Thanking PCB for sending the team on a short notice, Pandey hoped that this series would help Nepali players to perform well in WCL Div 5. Div 5 begins on May 23.