Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) is all set to host the inaugural Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Under-16 Elite Cup beginning on March 8.
“ACC has given us the complete responsibility of hosting the event,” CAN president Binaya Raj Pandey said in a press conference. “This is a matter of pride for us.”
Eight nations – Nepal, Kuwait, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia are participating in the event.
Apart from two umpires, one each from Thailand and Singapore, all other match officials are Nepali. ICC Associate and Affiliate Panel Umpire Buddhi Bahadur Pradhan will co-ordinate seven Nepali and two foreign umpires.
Fan urged for discipline
CAN has requested all spectators for a disciplined behaviour during the event. “ACC has given us the responsibility with a great faith,” Pandey said. “I welcome all cricket lovers and request to enjoy cricket as responsible fans.”
“Win and loss are part of the game,” he added. “For foreign teams, the behaviours of fans is a big thing and a small mistake from our side can damage our global image.”
Last month, due to unruly behaviour of spectators, the match between Nepal and USA during the World Cricket League Division 5 was stopped for half-an-hour. ICC has formed an investigation committee to study the breach of security.
All Nepali officials for the event
Satyajit Sarkar, Manohar Adhikari, Ram Kailash Yadav, Himal Raj Giri, Durga Nath Subedi and Raman Siwakoti will all stand as umpires while Hiralal Yadav, Sirish Upadhyay and Magilal Sharma are in the reserve poll of umpires.
Bijaya Sharma, former chief selector, and two former national captains LB Chhetri and Raju Khadka will act as match referees.
“ACC has decided to use former players as match referees which will make their role even more effective,” Pandey said.
For the participating teams, ACC has ruled that at least three players with citizenship are compulsory for each match. UAE and Qatar pulled out in the eleventh hour as they failed to get three national players. The event also coincided with examinations in UAE.
All the matches of event will be of 40 overs per innings and will begin at 9:45 a.m., according to umpire Pradhan. “Since this is a junior level event, helmet is compulsory for all batsmen,” he added.
The first eight overs will be powerplay while there will be four overs of bowling and batting powerplays.
Nepal is favorite: HK coach
On Monday, Nepal plays Hong Kong at the TU Cricket Ground. Hong Kong is coached by Sher Bahadur Lama, a Nepali who has also represented Hong Kong national side.
“Comparatively, Nepal is a favourite team,” Lama, who played for Baluwatar Cricket Club before moving to Hong Kong, said. “But we are not underdogs. Hong Kong is a balanced team.”
Lama said that he hoped a tight match. “The team that plays well on the given day will win the match,” he added.
In other matches, Kuwait meets Bahrain at IOE and Singapore faces Malaysia at BSAM.
Playing for title: coach, captain
Meanwhile, coach Roy Dias believed the team is strong enough to win the event.
According to him, the team is balanced and four batsmen – captain Swichan Shah, Nischal Pandey, Dipendra Chand and Sharad Khadka are capable enough to guide Nepal.
“I don’t think this is a proper side to take part in a major tournament. But still I believe the side is strong enough to lift the trophy as these boys have cricket in their blood and they have been playing cricket in their regions,” Dias told The Himalayan Times.
As Nepal’s coach, Dias has already guided U-15, U-17 and U-19 teams to the Asian level victories.
“This is the first U-16 event and I am looking forward to fare well in it,” Dias further told the daily newspaper ruling out any pressure to win the tournament.
Similarly, captain Swichan said that the team will play for the title. “Our aim is to win,” he said. “In Nepal, we have won all the age-group event and this time also, we will play to win.”
Shah hoped that Nischal, Sharad, Hari Chaulagain, Dipendra and Sanam Shrestha will be key players. “But it’s a team game and we all need to play good,” he added.
Schedule
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