Cricket dominated the Pulsar Sports Award 2069 as national cricket team captain Paras Khadka and coach Pubudu Dassanayake won the Player of the Year (Male) and Coach of the Year awards respectively during the award ceremony held at the Nepal Academy Hall, Kathmandu on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) honored the national cricket team as the team of the year, dedicating a special presentation to the team during the opening ceremony. NSJF did not include the accolade as a separate category in this year´s award but was rather an effort by the organizers to honor the teamwork and team spirit of the cricketers, according to NSJF President Ajay Phuyal.
Captain Khadka left behind teammate Basanta Regmi, footballer Bharat Khawas, karateka Sunil Lama and athlete Tilak Ram Tharu to win the award for the second time. He had earlier won the award in 2010.
Paras Khadka pose for photo with the Pulsar Sports Award. He was adjudged player of the year (male).
“It is an achievement for me to win this award in this environment, where all the best performers of Nepali sports are present,” said Khadka after receiving the award. “I dedicate this to my team members because I couldn’t have succeeded without them,” he added.
Khadka thanked his family, and also thanked national team coach Pubudu Dassanayake for changing Nepali cricket and guiding it to one after another success.
Khadka led the national cricket team from the front claiming 12 wickets and scoring 89 runs when Nepal lifted the title of ICC World Cricket League Division 4. Under his captaincy, the Nepali cricket team also won the ACC Trophy and Khadka was declared the man-of-the-series for his 207 runs and four wickets during the tournament. He was also declared man-of-the-series when Nepal reached the final of the ACC T20 Cup for the first time. Khadka also enjoyed success at the domestic level as he led Armed Police Force (APF) to the titles of One-day and T20 national tournaments.
Dassanayake, architect of the recent success of the national cricket team, remained ahead of wushu coach Yuvaraj Gurung, karate coach Akbar Shah, athletics coach Nar Bahadur Shahi and swimming coach Ongden Lama.
Raman Siwakoti receives the coach of the year award on behalf of Pubudu Dassanayake.
Dassanayake´s technical assistant Raman Siwakoti received the award on his behalf as Dassanayake is on vacation in Canada.
Dassanayake guided the Nepali national cricket team to title victories in the World Cricket League Division 4 and the ACC Trophy Elite in 2069 BS. Similarly, Nepal reached the final of ACC T20 Cup for the first time in 2069 BS under his guidance. The coach is also credited for establishing the NationalCricketAcademy to shape the future of Nepali cricket.
Para-athlete award
Blind cricketer Bikram Bahadur Rana, who also participated in athletics event at the London Paralympics 2012, was declared the para-athlete of the year.
Rana, a Nepal Army soldier who lost his eyesight 10 years ago during the Maoist war, became the only Nepali athlete to participate in two world class events in a calendar year. Rana completed 100m sprint in 12.81 seconds and 200m in 26.95 seconds during the London Paralympics 2012. Both his timings are South Asian records in Paralympics.
Bikram Bahadur Rana receives para-athlete of the year award.
He was also the vice-captain of the Nepali team that participated in the World Cup for Blind held in Bangalore, India last year. He scored 58 runs and took a wicket against Bangladesh in Nepal´s only victory in the tournament. He scored 154 runs and took two wickets during the tournament.
Rana thanked his department and the Paralympics for his success in 2069.
Blind cricket association wins Special Award
NSJF awarded Cricket Association of the Blind, Nepal (CAB, Nepal) for leading the blind cricket team of Nepal to the World Cup Cricket for Blind held in Bangalore, India in 2012 as well as for its programs for social inclusion of blind women through cricket.
“There was a time when I used to cry over my blindness, but now I have a reason to smile. Today I feel like I have won another battle for my country,” said an elated CAB Nepal President Major Pawan Ghimire after receiving the award.
Ghimire, who lost his eyesight in an ambush set up by the Maoists about a decade ago, played a key role in establishing CAB Nepal six years ago with the support of Pakistan Blind Cricket Association (PBCA) founder Agha Shaukat Ali.
CAB, Nepal President Pawan Ghimire receives the Special Award on behalf of his association.
Despite the tragic event in early 2060 BS when Ghimire was caught in an ambush while on duty at the Kalikot-Jumla Highway, the Nepal Army officer didn´t give up hope and encouraged other blind friends to form CAB Nepal, drawing inspiration after receiving a training from PCBA.
In a short period after its establishment, CAB Nepal has already organized four national and five regional tournaments for blind men. The national team of blind men has participated in three international tournaments so far, including the World Cup last year. There are 450 male blind cricketers in Nepal.
Similarly, Ghimire and his team started working on mainstreaming blind women through sports. CAB Nepal also organized seven regional and national level tournaments for blind women. There are 120 female blind cricketers in Nepal, the only country in the world with a national cricket team of blind women.
These achievements have made CAB Nepal popular around the globe. CAB Nepal has been nominated for the Beyond Sports Award to be held in the USA later this year.