Nepal cricket team sponsors Standard Chartered Bank and Varun Beverage felicitated the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 winning team with cash prizes and bade farewell to the team, which leaves for UAE to compete in the ICC World T20 Qualifiers. The qualifiers begins in UAE from Friday.
Nepal won Division 3 in Bermuda on 7th of May, defeating Uganda by five wickets. The team is leaving for UAE on Sunday for the World T20 Cup Qualifiers. Team Nepal will also be participating in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers (for the World Cup of 50-over format), that will be played in New Zealand in January.
Standard Chartered and Varun Beverage, the producer of Pepsi in Nepal, gave away Rs 20,000 each to all the 16 members of the team, including 15 players and coach Pubudu Dasanayake. Standard Chartered CEO Joseph Silvanus Varun Beverage Unit Manager Rohit Kohli handed over the cheques.
At the occasion, Kohli of Varun Beverage assured of future support to Nepal cricket. “As sponsor Varun Beverage will further support you to make cricket a big platform,” said Kohli adding that the team could do wonders in the upcoming tournaments.
Silvanus of Standard Chartered opined that team was carrying the hope and aspiration of entire Nepal. “You are the leaders of Nepal, bring back all the glory you can,” Silvanus said.
Assuring that his side will come up with best performance, skipper Paras Khadka said they have been training hard for the last two months. “It is the time we have been waiting for,” said Khadka refereeing to the Qualifiers of UAE. “As a team we have really been working hard for last two months. It has always been a childhood dream for all of us to go through to the World Cup. It is a lifetime opportunity and hopefully we will make it.”
Shanti Ram Sharma, the Acting Secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports shared that the entire country held big expectations from the cricket team. “Cricket is the only team game of Nepal to reach the world arena. The country is expecting lot from you. You have the capability and zeal for winning,” said Sharma.
(L-R) Unit Manager of Varun Beverage Rohit Kohli, Nepal captain Paras Khadka, Standard Chartered Bank CEO Joseph Silvanus and Head of Corporate Affairs Diwakar Paudel pose for a photo after handing over cheques to the Nepal Cricket Team.
Nepal is pitted alongside with Afghanistan, Scotland, The Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Bermuda and Denmark in group B of the qualifiers. Nepal will take on Denmark in its opening match on Friday. Similarly, Ireland, Canada, UAE, Namibia, Hong Kong, Uganda, USA and Italy make up group A. Top six teams of the qualifiers will make to the finals to be held on 2014.
Only one sponsor on jersey
Despite having two sponsors — Pepsi and Standard Chartered — Nepal cricket team will wear the jersey with the logo of a single sponsor – Standard Chartered – during the ICC World T20 Qualifiers. Pepsi and the Standard Chartered have been the joint sponsors of Nepali teams for last five years. According to Ashok Nath Pyakurel, the General Secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal, “A team could wear jersey of only one sponsor during the main event of International Cricket Council (ICC). Thus the team will wear jersey with Standard Chartered logo in the T20 Qualifiers and Pepsi logo in the World Cup Qualifiers in January (in New Zealand). The decision was taken after consultations with both the sponsors.” Standard Chartered have been the sponsor of the team since 2007 and Pepsi since 2009. According to ICC regulation, the logo of sponsor should not exceed than 42 square centimeters.
Live streaming of World T20 Qualifiers
Cricket fans can view Nepal’s three group stage matches of ICC World T20 Qualifiers live through web-cast. According to Nepal’s coach Pubudu Dassanayake, International Cricket Council (ICC) will web-cast the live streaming of Nepal’s match against ODI teams Scotland, the Netherlands and Afghanistan. Nepal will play against Scotland on November 18, the Netherlands two days later and Afghanistan on November 22. ICC will also web-cast knockout stage matches.