If memories can be erased, a memory that I will surely erase will be the Cricket World Cup 2015 Qualifiers. Not for that we failed to qualify for the World Cup or that we couldn’t be in top four with a hope of ODI status, but for the impact the results of the tournament could have on future of our cricket.
With four losses in four matches, three heavy ones and one tight one, it’s now look very difficult that Nepal’s world ranking will improve. It couldn’t win next match, then either we remain at the same ranking or we’ll go down by a place.
The finishing is crucial because International Cricket Council (ICC) is in the discussion to restructure global cricket. It’s discussing everything – from worst (giving Australia, England and India all the powers to run cricket) to the best (tier-system in Test cricket). The World Cricket League, in which we’re in Division 2, could also be restructured.
If ICC considers the Qualifiers, in which all teams of WCL Division 2 and four teams of Division 2 participated, a part of WCL, we could well be relegated to Division 3 by virtue of finishing among last two. That’ll be a setback.
But bigger looking setback could come if ICC decides to re-introduce some kind of global cricket structure. Nepal could end up much lower than it’s capable of and you never know how and when we would climb up the ladder, if somehow ICC puts into place a ladder system.
This brings back the haunted memory of 2004 ACC Trophy, in which Nepal lost to Qatar in quarterfinals thus finishing ranked lowly than its capacity. That one loss was determined a lot of bad things for us as ICC decides to introduce World Cricket League based on regional ranking.
Nepal was put into Division 5 while teams competitive to Nepal in Asia at that time were much higher. UAE and Oman were in Division 2 and Hong Kong was in Division 3.
Well, Afghanistan was with us in Division 5 and they went all the way up to qualification to World Cup and we could argue that Nepal could have done the same. However, the rise of Afghanistan on cricket was something a magic – an exceptional case – and that could not be replicated easily.
I am not going to argue what went wrong in New Zealand. I am not going to blame players or coach. For whatsoever they had done so far to make us proud has been due to their own talents and hunger to success than anything else. And, also I am not going to repeat what we need to do because it’s the same things that I have been telling for a decade now.
I will just say that to keep up with our dreams and hopes, we need professional plans and implementations, not just the luck!