Cricket Association of Nepal has finalized a 30-member preliminary squad, including veteran off-spinner Sanjam Regmi, another spinner Rahul BK, fast bowlers Amrit Bhattarai and Chandra Saud, for the upcoming ICC World T20.
The biggest tournament of T20 format will begin in Bangladesh on March 16. Nepal qualified for the mega event after finishing third in the ICC World T20 qualifiers held in the UAE in November.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) had set the deadline of January 16 for the registration of the preliminary squad. Cricket Nepal learnt that it had sent the list to the world cricket governing body ahead of the deadline.
The players were selected on the recommendation of coach Pubudu Dassanayake while he was in New Zealand for the ODI World Cup Qualifiers, where Nepal faltered and finished ninth in the tournament, after 5 losses and a consolation win.
Despite their poor performance in New Zealand, all of the 15 players have retained their place in the preliminary squad.
Captain Paras Khadka, vice captain Gyanendra Malla, Subash Khakurel, Anil Mandal, Pradeep Airee, Sharad Vesawkar, Prithu Baskota, Binod Bhandari, Sagar Pun, Basanta Regmi, Shakti Gauchan, Jitendra Mukhiya, Sompal Kami, Avinash Karn and Mahesh Chhetri are the 15 players in the current more info
national team. Subash did not play any match in New Zealand because of illness.
Other players who were named in the preliminary squad are Ram Naresh Giri, Naresh Budhaair, Bhuvan Karki, Rajesh Pulami, Yagyaman Kumal, Aarif Sheikh, Sushil Kandel, Amrit Shrestha, Rajkumar Pradhan, Nizamuddin Ansari and Manjit Shrestha.
Despite playing in the T20 Qualifiers in the UAE, Amrit and Rahul were kept as reserve players in the ODI Qualifiers in New Zealand. Sanjam has been listed in the preliminary squad for the first time since winning the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 in Bermuda back in May 2013. He was out of action for quite some time due to eye aliment. Chandra was not included in the T20 squad in the UAE.
Nepal’s veteran cricketer and former captain Binod Das was left out again. His hope of making it to the national team seems unlikely because he hasn’t even been named in the preliminary squad.
CAN has to send the list of the final squad exactly a month ahead of the World T20 on February 16. Nepal will open its campaign against Hong Kong on March 16. It will then take on host Bangladesh on March 18 and Afghanistan on March 20.