Three members of the U19 cricket team scheduled to participate in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup received equipment sponsorship from two Indian sports goods and equipment manufacturers — Talwar Sports and Ranger Sports.
Talwar Sports sponsored wicketkeeper-batsman Subash Khakurel and batsman Rajesh Pulami Magar, while bowler Ram Naresh Giri got sponsorship from Ranger Sports for two years. Continue reading
Mehboob Alam is dropped from the national squad of the World Cricket League Division 4 in Malaysia while former captain Binod Das has made a return.
According to a source at the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), all-rounder Alam and opener Paresh Lohani have not been included in the 18-member preliminary squad to be announced shortly. Continue reading
A cricketer, who plays at the national level, bumped into a few sports journalists at a café. Incidentally, I happened to witness the conversation.
He asked, “When are the national championships happening?” He was promptly replied, “It’s not likely to happen this year.”
While it may sound as a normal conversation, it is definitely not normal. It goes on to show, at a deeper level, the problems our cricket faces. A cricketer has to ask a journalist about when a tournament that he is supposed to play in takes place.
The incident shows that the governing body of cricket in the country, Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), has not communicated with its players, whether the national championship is going to take place. It is writing on the wall that the chances of national championship this year is next to impossible (with slim chance being in December). Yet the governing body chooses not to see it, and not act accordingly, at least as far as communicating it is concerned. With the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 slated in September and ACC Trophy Elite Cup slated in October, followed by festive season that lasts till the end of November, where is the time for nationals?
This means, for the first time since 1996, Nepali national side would be selected without their performance being judged at the nationals. National championship is not just another tournament. It is the glue of Nepali cricket, since it keeps cricketers attracted to cricket. It cannot be forgotten that most cricketers here do not play cricket round the year. For many, nationals are the only opportunity to play cricket. One opportunity for which they get fit, talk about cricket and dream of getting into the national side.
Knowing all this, it is a huge disappointment that the cricketers have not been made aware about the dates – if there is any – for the championship. Even in the past, barring a few occasions – when it was released to the media – cricket calendars have been the property of the President and few others. Not even executive members were aware of it.
While CAN is at fault (and we’ve talked about its attitude umpteen times already), there is another question that the anecdote – mentioned above – brings to mind. About the attitude of the cricketers in general…
Is it fair that a cricketer who dreams of playing for the country depends on a journalist to know about the dates of national championship? Is this the level of dedication our cricketers have for cricket? A cricketer who roams about in Kathmandu’s elite café is expected to be smart enough to know that the information of championship should be at the CAN office. An average Nepali knows that there is no chance of cricket during monsoon.
This shows that even national level cricketers have callous attitude towards cricket. And the person mentioned here – intentionally not named, to protect his privacy and to highlight the fact that he represents most cricketers here – could be questioned about his dreams of making it to national team. We often talk about the facilities that cricketers get in Test-playing countries or even the countries with ODI status. But what we do not mention is the amount of struggle that the cricketers go through there, before breaking it to the top. How difficult it is for them to give up everything and focus on cricket. Even a regular club cricketer in India will tell you, if asked, how he has lost count of the number of parties he has missed, just for the sake of cricket.
It is not just about what you get after you get to the top. It is also a question of how much a person is ready to sacrifice to get there. It is about how intense your love affair with cricket is. It is about what you prioritize. A cricketer aspiring to make it to the national team should know every cricket activity that goes around him.
It’s not only talent that takes you to the top. It’s about how you handle that talent. It’s about that word called ‘attitude’.
(Ed: This write-up appeared in Somesh Verma’s weekly Column in The Kathmandu Post, on 21 July, 2012)
Nepali cricket is always surrounded by problems before participating in International tournaments. Nepal had lots of plans even before participating in ICC U-19 World Cup and World Cricket League Division 4 tournaments, but lack of training due to rainy field in the mid monsoon season, and national cricket championship not being organized are the main problems this time around.
The U-19 players in the close camp were unable to practice due to continuous rain. Pitch at the TU Cricket Ground is under covers, while the rest part of the ground is completely water logged. Nepali team spent most of its time inside the gym. The time ran out fast for the players for the ICC Under-19 World Cup to be held in Australia from August 11.
“I don’t complain much in this regard, we are practicing as much we can, though it would be great if the ground was dry. It doesn’t mean our preparation is zero” said Nepal coach Pubhudu Dassaynayake. He further added, “We wanted to prepare superbly, if the situation was normal, we would have practiced in the net, but we are working on mental strength”. The plans to go to Sri Lanka before Australian tour had to be abandoned as Visa application needed three weeks time. Nepali U-19 team is going to Australia 8 days before tournament. Sri Lanka born Canadian coach Dassanayake said “We will play 2 practice matches with a local club in Darwin and practice for 5 days to acclimatize there. International cricket Council (ICC) will bear the cost.”
Coach Director Ross Turner managed these matches for Nepal. Turner is the one who has worked as ICC Development Officer and worked with Australian team. He was responsible for designing the architecture for Cricket Academy in Mulpani, Kathmandu.
After playing with local club in Darwin, Nepal will play two practice matches, first with Papua New Guinea on 7th August and another with New Zealand on 8th August, provided under ICC’s preparation matches. In the U-19 World Cup, Nepal is placed with host Australia, England and Ireland. Nepal will play its first match against Australia on 13th August then play against Ireland on 15th and final group match against England on 16th August.
For the first time since 1996, Nepal will participate in an International tournament without playing national championship. It’s been 14 months since national championship was held. Players for both U-19 World Cup and ICC World Division 4 have been chosen on the basis of players’ performance in the 6th National Games, in Dhangadhi. The matches in the National Games were played on matting wickets, where teams of development regions (administrative) took part, rather than cricket’s own 6 regions.
In the meantime, World Cricket League Division 4, which is the only gateway for Nepal to qualify for ICC World Cup 2015, is scheduled for September in Malaysia.
“We can’t select players in the national side on the basis of player’s performance in Under-19 World Cup, that’s why we selected players on their performance in Under-19 Asia Cup”, coach Dassanayake clarified. He further added, “it’s good practice to select players from national tournament and coach them, but we don’t have any choice now, that’s why we need to select players in the basis of performance at World T20 qualifier held in Dubai, Indian Embassy Cup held in Kathmandu and 6th National Games held in Dhangadhi.”
“I wanted to see Mahesh Chhetri in 50 overs, before selecting him. I could have judged him properly if nationals were held. He didn’t play in 6th national Games and Indian Embassy Cup. Not only Mahesh, I would have got the opportunity to watch other players too”, said Dassanayake.
Coach Dassanayake also has plans to send batsmen Anil Mandal, Sharad Veshwakar and Gyanendra Malla to any Indian Academy for short term, as they have been out of practice recently. Skipper Parash Khadka, who is playing club cricket in Canada will be back in Nepal in the second week of August.
Dassanayake is little worried in bowling department which has Basanta Regmi and Shakti Gauchan. He added “Batting is our main concern, that’s why we are planning to send our main batsmen to India, then our national team will go to Sri Lanka for two weeks. Players selected from U-19 team may directly come to Sri Lanka to join the team or be back to Nepal and then to Sri Lanka. Then only we go to Malaysia for Division 4 tournament.”
All 16 squads have now been named ahead of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012, which takes place in Queensland, Australia, from 11-26 August, according to International Cricket Council (ICC).
The final Nepal squad consists of Pradeep Airee, Prithu Baskota, Naresh Budhaayer, Ramnaresh Giri, Mahamad Hasim Ansari, Bhuban Karki, Krishna Karki, Avinash Karn, Saurabh Khanal, Gopal Singh, Rahul Kumar Vishwakarma, Rajesh Pulani, Subash Khakurel, Sagar Pun and Fajlur Rahman.
Nepal is placed in Group A alongside hosts Australia, England and Ireland.
Nepal will play Australia on August 13 at Tony Ireland Stadium (TIS), Townsville; Ireland on August 15 at Endeavour Park 1, Townsville and England on August 16 at TIS. The TIS is the only ground from where ESPN Star Sports will broadcast a total of 10 matches live including five league matches, two quarterfinals, two semifinals and the final.
Nepal will also play two practice matches before the start of the event: first against Papua New Guinea on August 7 and New Zealand on August 8.
Australia will defend the title it won in Lincoln, New Zealand, in 2010. The Australia side includes South Australia’s top order batsman Travis Head, who played all his four first-class matches this season and scored 219 runs, and New South Wales’ middle-order batsman Kurtis Patterson, who scored a smashing 157 against South Australia on his debut at the SCG in November last year.
The England side boasts 10 cricketers who have played first-class cricket. The 1998 winner will be led by Kent’s all-rounder Adam Ball, who has played nine first-class matches in which he has scored 184 runs and claimed 15 wickets.
Other England players to have played first-class cricket in the English County Championships in the UK include wicketkeeper Ben Foakes of Essex, fast bowler Daniel Bell-Drummond of Kent, Brett Hutton of Nottinghamshire, right-arm fast bowler Anesh Kapil of Worcestershire, Derbyshire’s left-arm spinner Tom Knight, Somerset’s fast bowler Craig Overton, Craig’s twin brother Jamie, Essex’s left-arm fast bowler Reece Topley and Sam Wood of Nottinghamshire.
Final squads (Group A)
Australia – Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, William Bosisto, Meyrick Buchanan, Harry Conway, Sam Hain, Travis Head, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Jimmy Peirson, Gurinder Sandhu, Mark Steketee, Nick Stevens, Ashton Turner and Jack Wildermuth.
England – Adam Ball (captain), Shozair Ali, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Ben Collins, Alex Davies, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Brett Hutton, Aneesh Kapil, Tom Knight, Jamie Overton, Craig Overton, Reece Topley, Kishen Velani and Sam Wood.
Ireland – George Dockrell (captain), Scott Campbell, Peter Chase, Adam Coughlan, Shane Getkate, Ryan Hunter, Tyrone Kane, Robin Kelly, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter, Barry McCarthy, Alistair Shields, Patrick Tice, Jason Van der Merwe and Ben Wylie
About ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012
Sixteen teams will be competing in the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup 2012. Along with ICC’s 10 Full members, the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup 2012, being supported by Events Queensland, will see six qualifiers – Namibia (from the Africa Region), Afghanistan and Nepal (from the Asia Region), Papua New Guinea (from the East Asia-Pacific Region) and Ireland and Scotland (from the Europe Region) – taking part in Brisbane, Townsville and the Sunshine Coast from 11-26 August.
The six teams qualified from the 10-team ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup 2011 Qualifier, which took place in Ireland from 28 July to 9 August 2011.
The 16 teams have been divided into four groups. The top two teams in each group after the group stage progress to the Super League quarter-finals while the two bottom teams from each group qualify for the Plate Championship quarter-finals. The winners of the Super League quarter-finals will qualify for the semi-finals, whereas the losing quarter-finalists will play in the Super League play-offs.
The winners of the Plate Championship quarter-finals will play in the Plate Championship semi-finals, while the beaten quarter-finalists will participate in the Plate Championship play-offs.
A total of 48 matches, including 24 in the first round, 12 in the Super League and 12 in the Plate Championship will be played at eight venues.
BY BIKALPA GAUTAM
Once again we have promised a lot; and once again we have failed to deliver and returned empty handed. I know that apart from Malaysia, other opponents in the group (India and Pakistan) are the cricketing powerhouses, who have won the U19 World Cup a couple of times each. I also know that expecting our boys to win against them is asking for impossible to happen. But still, being a Nepali cricket nut, I was expecting at least some serious fight back.
What really amused and, more importantly, made me angry was that very little has been done by Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) to address the age-old problem of Nepali cricket – the batting. Failure of Nepali batsman in major international tournament is not a new phenomenon and yet our authorities have done next to nothing to figure out what is causing this and how it can be solved.
All the hard work done by our bowlers to restrict opponents within the getable score had been wasted by our batsmen playing senselessly. Just have a look at scorecard of the match against India, all the hope and excitement created by our bowlers by restricting famed Indian batting line-up to mere 173 was wasted by our batsmen. There are many more instances where we have shown incompetence while batting.
Some people might say that centralization of the cricketing infrastructure is main reason forcing Nepali cricket to slump. Afghanistan is a good example to learn how a country without any cricketing infrastructure whatsoever has managed to establish itself as a cricketing power. While Taliban were ruling their country, these players were getting valuable exposure playing quality cricket for various clubs and teams in Pakistan.
The reason for raising this topic of exposure is that no matter how much amount of money you pour into developing cricketing infrastructure, no matter how talented player are, if players do not know how to adjust in real match situation, they will ultimately succumb under pressure. Exposure will not only help to overcome the nervousness in the match day but it will also help to expand the creativity by understanding opponent’s tactics.
Hereby I have listed some ways, by following which our cricket player can gain valuable experience and exposure needed badly
Start domestic first class competition: If you look at the matches in which Nepal batted first, against good opponents, you’ll notice that we had usually got all out before the completion of allocated overs.
Unlike conventional one-day match, a first class match last for more than a day (2, 3, 4 or even 5 days with each team playing two innings).
Playing this kind of matches will help our batsman to learn the art of spending time in the middle of the pitch and as great Sunil Gavaskar has said – “runs will start to flow once you learn how to spent time in the crease”.
Identify key impact player: If you observe any good cricket team, you’ll notice that there are at least five player key player who can have positive impact in the outcome of a match (I am not saying other six are useless). We should also pick out five player (three batsmen and two bowlers) based on their past performance and talent and nurture them for future.
Ask for help: Nepal is quite fortunate to have four of the world best cricket playing countries as our neighbors. They have rich cricketing history and are well advance in term of the cricketing infrastructure. Their centre of excellence like MRF Pace foundation in Chhenai, National Cricket Academy (NCA) Banglore, NCA (Lahore) and NCA (Colombo) are among the best in the world.
If we could use our diplomatic channel effectively, it wouldn’t be that difficult for these countries to allocate couple of scholarship each year for aspiring Nepali cricketers. Impact players that have been identified earlier could be sent to these centers. The tricks and trade of fast bowling that Binod Das could learn under the watchful eye of Dennis Lilee could be invaluable. And equally important could be batting skills that Sarad Veswakar could learn from Javed Miyadad at NCA, Lahore.
These cricketing heavyweights (India, Pakistan, Srilanka and Bangladesh) have done enough to promote cricket in their country. Now its time to fulfill their corporate social responsibility by advertising and sponsoring cricket in their neighbours.
Invite teams: CAN should initiate the tradition for inviting quality foreign cricket team at least 3-4 times of the year. All of the teams that play first class cricket in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan plays good cricket and each of them have their own style of playing.
Logistically it won’t be that difficult to organise tour match of first class team like Mumbai Ranji team or PIA from Pakistan. Playing against Nepal in Nepal will also be a good learning curve for these teams. By playing against these teams, our players can gain that valuable exposure which they lack.
Professionalism: Standard of cricket that Nepal has in age group is very good among the non test playing nation. As these boys become mans and play for national side our standard nosedives.
Experts have pointed out the lack of professionalism for its main cause. When you are young cricketer, you do not have to think about your living and earning. But as a cricketer grows up, he then gets concerned about his sources of income. If we could take out the fear of low or no income from their minds then it will be easier for them to concentrate more on cricket then non cricketing issues.
If three departmental teams (Nepal Police, Armed Police and Nepal Army) could form their own cricket teams, then at least 50 to 60 Nepali cricketers can play without fearing about their jobs.
The author writes blogs at Ghatana ra Bichar.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that Malaysia will host Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division 4 from 3 to 10 September 2012.
Six teams will compete for the opportunity to finish in the top two of the event and ultimately gain promotion to the Pepsi ICC WCL Division 3 which will be held next year. Continue reading
Prithu Baskota, the U19 captain, and Jagat Tamata, the coach of U19 national team, were among the winners of the prestigious NSJF Pulsar Sports Awards.
All winners of NSJF Pulsar Sports Award 2068.
Prithu won the Youth Player of the Year award while Tamata won the Coach of the Year award.
National Sports Council (NSC) and Shahid Dasharath Chand Memorial Trust awarded the Dasharath Chand Most Talented Sports Personality award of the year 2068 BS to cricketer Rubina Chhetri on Sunday.
NSC and the trust organized an award ceremony at the Dasharath Stadium on Sunday to mark the 110th birth anniversary of Martyr Dasharath Chand.
Rubina Chhetri
Chhetri, who as a captain madeNepalcomplete title hat-trick in the ACC U-19 Women´s Championship, received Rs 15,101 and a letter of appreciation. Former Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand handed over the award and the cash prize to Chhetri.
Meanwhile, judokas Saroj Maharjan of Central Region and Rohit Karki of Mid-western Region as well as weightlifters Tara Devi Pun of Western Region and Champa Thakulla of Far-western Region bagged talented sports personalities of year 2068 award. They received Rs 10,101 each.
The award was established by the trust to promote and encourage Nepali athletes. “We award the athletes, who achieve success at the national and international level on the recommendation of National Sports Council,” said KB Chand, chairperson of the trust.
Nepal’s match against India was the usual story: laudable bowling and poor batting. Bowlers succeeded in bowl out India to 176 but batsmen failed to even scare the Test nation in the crucial tie of the ACC U19 Asia Cup.
The result at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: India beat Nepal by 81 runs to progress to semifinal and Nepal crashed out. Continue reading
Cricket dominates the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award 2067 nominations as the organizers Nepal Sports Journalists Forum announced nominations for four main categories.
Paras Khadka, Rubina Chhetri, Prithu Baskota, Pubudu Dasanayake, Jagat Tamata and Navin Singh – all nominated for various awards in NSJF Puslar Sports Awards 2068.
National captain Paras Khadka, who won the awards in 2010, has been nominated for Best Player (Male) while U19 captain Prithu Baskota has been nominated for fourth year for Best Player (Youth).
Nepal thrashed associate rival Malaysia by 107 runs on Sunday in the ACC U-19 Asia Cup as Sagar Pun and Rahul BK put up impressive performances.
The victory has given Nepal hope of qualifying for the semifinals of the tournament being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as Pakistan defeated India by 1 run in another group ´A´ match.
Pakistan, who defeated Nepal on Saturday, booked semifinal berth after consecutive victory in the group ´A´ while the next semifinalist from the group will be decided after the match between Nepal and India on Tuesday.
Nepal elected to bat and put up 247/8 in 50 overs as Pun scored 71 runs off 90 balls at the Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur. In reply, Malaysia was all out for 140 runs in 43 overs.
Nepal U-19 had defeated Malaysia four times since 2001 to 2007 in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup — three times in the final and once in semifinal. Nepal had achieved all these victories under Sri Lankan coach Roy Luke Dias, who is leading Malaysia in the current tournament.
Openers Subas Khakurel (33 runs off 39 balls) and Pradeep Airee (39 runs off 57 balls) put up 74-run first wicket partnership in 16 overs. However Nepal faced a mini-collapse in the middle as Nepal was 90/4 in 24 overs as Naresh Budayair (4 runs) and skipper Prithu Baskota (naught) were out in the 24th over.
Sagar Pun, who was the second highest scorer for the Nepali U-19 team during the ACC U-19 Elite Cup held in Thailand and ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifiers held in Ireland last year, proved his caliber and anchored the Nepali innings. Pun shot four boundaries and three sixes during his 90-ball innings. He lost his wicket when Nepal reached 208.
Pun put up a 84-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Rajesh Pulami (39 runs off 45 balls) while Rahul BK added only four runs. Hasim Ansari and Bhuwan Karki chipped in to put up a 37-run ninth wicket partnership to add misery to Malaysia. Ansari scored 21 runs off 23 balls while Karki remained unbeaten scoring 23 runs off 15 balls.
Rahul BK of Nepal receiving ´Man Of The Match Trophy´ (Photo: ACC)
Sivanantha Krishnan took three wickets for Malaysia while Nazril Rahman claimed two wickets.
Malaysia never sensed the way to victory and it was rattling 61/4 in 25 overs. Muhamad Syahadat top scored for Malaysia with 36 runs off 70 balls while Krishnan and Pavithren Nadaesan scored 23 runs and 21 runs respectively.
Spinner Rahul BK did the most damage to Malaysia as he took five wickets bowling eight overs. Man-of-the-match BK kept a maiden and gave away only 30 runs to take the five wickets. Avinash Karn and skipper Baskota claimed a wicket each.
Sagar Pun also claimed a wicket. Saurav Khanal could not claim wicket but kept three maiden overs and gave away only 16 runs in seven overs.
Nepal suffered an eight-wicket loss at hand of Test playing nation Pakistan in their opening match of the ACC U-19 Asian Cup at Bayuemas Oval in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday.
Pakistan U-19 captain Babar Azam won the toss and invitedNepalto bat first. Pakistan bowlers proved their captain’s decision right and bowled out Nepal for 156 runs in 46.1 overs.
Nepallost opener Subash Khakurel (6 runs) after putting up 16-run opening stand with Pradeep Airee (18).
Naresh Budhayair top scored for Nepal with 34 off 85 balls including three boundaries. Budhayair put up a 33-run stand with Airee for the second wicket, a 12-run stand with Sagar Pun (7 runs) and another 40-run fourth wicket stand with skipper Prithu Baskota (28 off 41 balls). The partnership between Airee and Baskota was the highest of the Nepali innings.
Skipper Baskota hit three boundaries during his stay at the center. Rajesh Pulami Magar chipped in with 23 runs off 27 balls while Rahul Vishvakarma added 13 runs off 22 balls.
Pakistani bowlers Azizullah and Mohammad Nawaz took two wickets apiece. Likewise, Zia-ul-Haq, Ehsan Adil and Usman Qadir claimed one wicket each. Pakistan conceded 16 runs as extras.
In reply, Pakistan surpassed the lowly total in 37.3 overs losing only two wickets. Pakistani opener Sami Aslam scored an unbeaten 82 runs off 115 balls. He hit 12 boundaries and forged the 98-run opening stand with skipper Babar Azam (48 runs off 64 balls).
Rahul Vishvakarma and Sagar Pun took a wicket each. Sami for his calm and composed knock was adjudged the man of the match.
Nepalwill take on Malaysia on Sunday at the Royal Selangor Club Ground in their second match of the tournament.
Come August and Nepal will play, for the sixth time out of nine, in the ICC U-19 World Cup. If you consider that – at the World Cup – Nepali Colts are pooled along with Australia, England and Ireland, there will be little debate on how important its present campaign at the ACC U-19 Asia Cup. Playing against Pakistan and India at the Asia Cup, in a run up to the World Cup, should be considered a dream preparation for any team.
When Nepal plays Pakistan during the inaugural U-19 Asia Cup, it is but inevitable not to remember their meeting a decade and a few months ago. That had prompted Lynn McConnell to write on ESPNcricinfo: “Nepal may be the location of the world’s highest mountains but their Under-19 World Cup cricketers scaled the cricketing heights with a momentous upset victory in the ICC event in Christchurch today.”
Not many a times do we see such eloquence flowing for Nepal, especially in team sports. But such eloquence was rightly placed. For, Nepal – a minnow, by any means, at cricket – had beaten a team that played at the highest level and had a world cup in its kitty already.
And when the two meet again, it would only be natural for most cricket fans like yours truly to get nostalgic. This time around, the team we have is more or less settled, playing together for around a year now. At such times, the administration has to do as much as possible to maintain the stability of the team.
But that’s one point we always seem to miss, maintaining stability or rather not doing what should be the first thing to do.
When Nepal reached the final of ACC U-19 Elite Cup in Thailand (the tournament that qualified them for U-19 Asia Cup), it was under Coach Jagat Tamata. When Nepal played in Ireland, to qualify for the ICC U-19 World Cup, it was coached by the same Jagat Tamata. Those were both in 2011. Now, when Nepal is playing the Asia Cup, the same Jagat Tamata does not get to go with the team.
For ACC U-19 Asia Cup, he has been replaced by Jung Bahadur Thapa, to assist Coach Pubudu Dassanayake. This should not be taken as a criticism of Thapa, but he has been placed in the team (even as a custodian) wrongly.
Cricket Assoiation of Nepal may have a good sounding logic to it: rotation. Rotation sounds good for players – if a team has very good bench strength – but rotation of coaches? Sounds almost absurd… Ask Tamata about the case and he goes blank, not sure if he really should answer the question or not.
Of late, coaching has become heavily reliant on science and technology. But coaching is not a formula based science. One formula doesn’t work in all situations. It needs understanding and caring of human beings. And when it is about working with a team of teenagers, one needs an understanding person in charge. It would be difficult to say how understanding or caring Tamata had been. But one thing is for sure, he had worked with the boys long enough to have developed the bonding with them and along with that a sense of understanding players’ capabilities and their needs. If understanding of players’ capabilities and their needs are ignored, there could be no real coaching.
Since Pubudu Dassanayake would be the one making strategies and plans – and given the fact that he is not a permanent in-charge of U19 team – he needed an assistant who knew the boys well. That would have helped. If such rotation is a short term decision, it is bad. If such short term replacements are going to be a regular decision, it’s even worse.
With due respect to Jung Bahadur Thapa, who was brought in the closed camp less than a week ago, his case is like bringing in a parachute consultant, who has just been dropped in the area of action and is totally unfamiliar with his surroundings. Parachuting consultants has failed worldwide, in development. Some organizations that are not in touch with reality still practice it. How parachuting coaches would help in cricket, one is yet to see.
Match: Nepal Vs Pakistan
Venue: Bayuemas Oval
Date: 23 June, 2012
For tournament preview, click here
Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has revised the match schedules of ACC U-19 Asia Cup as Nepal will face Pakistan in the opening match at Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur on June 23, local media reported on Tuesday. In the earlier fixture released by ACC, Nepal´s first match was against India at the Kinrara Oval, Kuala Lumpur.
Nepal will meet hosts Malaysia at Royal Selangor Turf Club on June 25 and India at Bayuemas Oval on June 26.
Nepal is in Group A whereas Group B consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Qatar and Sri Lanka.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals to be played on June 28 and 29. The final is on July 1. All the matches will be of 50 overs.
As Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni spent around 45 minutes with the Nepali national team, U-19 and the women´s team at the TU Cricket Ground Kirtipur on Saturday afternoon, Nepali cricketers were on cloud nine.
Dhoni, who arrived inKathmanduon Saturday morning on the official invitation of the Indian Embassy inNepal, talked shop with Nepali cricketers at the center wicket of the TU Ground barring the media and other officials.
“He was down to earth and gave us tips on handling pressure during games,” said Nepali U-19 captain Prithu Baskota.
“When I asked him for captainship tips, he suggested to me to build a team spirit and know teammates´ strengths and weaknesses and to keep things simple and pressure free,” he added.
“Our coach used to tell us the same thing. But hearing the same from the World Cup winning captain has boosted our confidence,” said Baskota.
Dhoni suggested to the Nepali players to grow “step by step”.
“He suggested us not to dream about World Cup at once but to take things in stride gradually. He asked us to break down our targets and approach them one by one. For instance, he suggested to us to catch up withAfghanistan first,” said Paresh Lohani, the opening batsman of Nepali national team.
Dhoni suggested to players to work hard and stressed the need for developing infrastructure.
“Asked about how he despite coming from a small town made it to the Indian national team, he said he played as many matches as possible and kept on working hard to get the current position,” said Binod Das, former skipper of the Nepali side. “He also said that the association has to develop infrastructure,” said Das.
Das, said the meeting was fruitful as they got the opportunity to know about India´s World Cup victory from the horses´ mouth. “He said a captain must be able to use resources in a team and the pressure aotomatically goes down,” informed Das. “He also stressed on mental strength and continuous practice,” Das added.
The Indian captain also gave some batting tips to Nepali cricketers. According to Das, Dhoni suggested to watch the ball and play late while batting on a slow track. Likewise, when U-19 captain Prithu Baskota asked him about Australian wickets regarding Nepali U-19 team´s World Cup campaign, Dhoni suggested to the Nepali team to practice on cemented pitch with plastic balls.
“Besides all the tips and suggestions, we were happy to find him friendly. And, he didn´t forget to suggest to us to maintain simplicity despite achievements,” said Baskota.
Dhoni’s amazing sense of humor
It is well known that Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni renowned for his skills on the pitch, his instinctive decision making capability as a captain, his good looks and charming personality but very few might be aware of his amazing sense of humor.
With his witty comments, the inspirational skipper had the audience laughing in an interaction program on Saturday during his short visit toNepal.
When asked how he managed to be so cool under pressure, Dhoni said, “That’s easy because I sleep in the fridge. AC is not enough.”
When he was told to choose between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, he hit back saying, “Picnic or party?”
Dhoni also hinted that he had no desire of joining politics like Indian great Sachin Tehdulkar.
“I am very happy playing cricket,” he said, when asked if he had any plans of joining politics.
Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni´s high-profileNepalvisit could prove to be a stepping stone for the development of cricket in this country, with the Indian skipper accepting the role of goodwill ambassador of Nepali cricket.
Besides giving valuable lessons to Nepali cricketers, the World Cup winning captain said he felt honored to be invited to promote cricket in a neighboring country.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Post Bahadur Bogati declared Dhoni a goodwill ambassador of Nepali cricket on Saturday during an interaction program inKathmandu. Dhoni humbly accepted the proposal.
“As a cricketer, it would be great if I could promote cricket,” said 30-year-old Dhoni on Saturday, upon his arrival inKathmandualong with his better half Sakshi for a one and a half days´ visit.
Dhoni said that sport is something that earns a lot of goodwill for a country. “Cricket is very popular in the sub-continent and that is why I am here. It will be good to have one more team from the sub-continent,” he added, referring to the Test nations ofSouth Asia.
Dhoni backed the cause of cricket, saying that sport and education are two dimensions that are very important in life.
He also expressed delight at the keen interest shown by youngsters inNepalin cricket and said thatNepalas a cricketing country would grow further.
Though Dhoni stressed thatNepalneeds to gradually develop infrastructure to improve its cricket standard, he urged Nepalis to make the most of what they have. “It´s not about what you don´t have, rather it is about making the most of what you have,” he said later during an interaction program.
Dhoni said what counts more is public support. “I like playing in front of a big crowd. It doesn´t matter where I am playing but what matters is in front of whom I am playing. I am sure the people will come forward to support Nepali players,” he said.
According to Dhoni, giving continuity to the game is vital. “It needs time. Stick to the players and they will gradually improve,” he added.
“Being focused, having passion and remaining fit are a few things that will help you,” he said when asked about the key to his success.
Given the glum scenario of financial backing for Nepali cricket, Dhoni said that the role of sponsorship is very important for the development of the game and urged sponsors to come forward and support cricket.
“It is important that sponsors come forward. They have a major role to play because sponsorship is important not only for sport but for the economy as a whole.”
Asked about the possibility ofNepalbecoming a neutral venue for international matches–given that the country has ideal weather conditions and a cricket ground in a scenic environment–Dhoni said it was for the ICC to determine whether or not the infrastructure here is up to the mark.
Past couple of weeks have been very exciting for young cricketers of Nepal and the excitement is likely to continue. Imagine meeting one of the best leaders of the game just before you’re readying yourself for a major tournament. It’s like going to your class science test after a lecture from Stephen Hawking.
Yes, meeting Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Indian cricket captain, just before the U-19 Asia Cup might do more than good to the youngsters, who start the tournament playing against India – arguably the strongest side in the competition. After all, this man is known to have inspired Indian team to World Cup title.
Dhoni’s arrival and his influence on Nepali cricketers is likely to fill headlines in coming days. He is to meet the local cricketers and have a pep talk with them.
But have you considered this: Had our cricket calendar got right, Dhoni would have been able to witness Nepali cricket in action. For, he would have arrived in the midst of National cricket championship. Sadly, it was shelved. Few wrote about it, fewer discussed it.
Imagine a national championship being shelved. Does it hurt? Or in a state of confusion, it has become palatable? An everyday affair… Have our expectations lowered so much already? It should be remembered that the U-16 nationals coincided with SLC exams – the exam touted as the Iron Gate and where most 16 year olds and thereabouts are rigorously busy with books and not bats. The timing hardly worried many.
One can understand that the Cricket Association runs under political leadership. But there are enough names in the association team who have been involved in the game for long time. One would have expected some sense prevailing and these former cricketers be worried about where the next team would come from. ICC World Cricket League Division 4 matches might be played in September, and in absence of nationals, team selection is definitely going to be affected. It has been norm, for long long time now, that the nationals are also taken as selection tournament for the team.
Nationals have always been the stage for cricketers to perform, to shine, to announce themselves. In its absence, there is every likelihood that the national team would be unchanged. That also means that the players who are currently in the team would be unchallenged. Lack of challenge also means that the players might take their place for granted and become casual in their approach. And the team that impressed everyone during World T20 qualifiers could lose momentum.
Interestingly, there is no calendar made public for this year (not that calendar making was a ritual known to public in Cricket Association of Nepal), and hence cricket officials can even deny canceling the championship. But sane look at climatic conditions and a bit of history will tell you championship is not possible anymore. Monsoon and wet field will not allow it before Dashain festival, and following that everyone will be busy in preparation for ACC Trophy to be played in UAE (First week of October). So when is the time for national championship?
In CAN’s defense, it can be said that the frequent general strikes in various parts of the country did not help organizing the tournament. Also the expected constitution on 27th of May had a sense of confusion all around. And along with that there was every chance that CAN would have to disturb the camp set for U-19 team (that is to play U-19 Asia Cup – in July – and U-19 World Cup – in August).
But then, Nationals is not only a stage where youngsters emerge. It is also a place to keep the players – who are not a part of the team – engaged in the sport. We already have a lot of 30-year-olds who have stopped playing cricket, after a decade of experience at domestic circuit. It could also be an opportunity to make use of that experience.
(Ed: The write-up appeared in Somesh Verma’s sports column in The Kathmandu Post on 16 June, 2012)
What is the first question that comes to your mind if you hear of a Nepali (or any other) player playing for a foreign club?
How much is he or she getting? Naturally yes. Sport is a professional arena and you sell your skills for a price.
Nepali fast bowlers Amrit Bhattarai and Chandra Saud were selected by Sri Lanka Port Authority Cricket Club to play in the U-23 League, organized by Sri Lanka Cricket Board. There, both Bhattarai and Saud will play one 3-Day match and one 1-Day match every week, for 3 months. But, according to the contract, both players have to bear their own expenses, including ticket to Sri Lanka and food.
Here, we can’t complain that they are playing for free. Given that they play precious little when there is no camp, Nepali cricketers need some ways to get exposure. In fact, we have to consider it a privilege that the pace duo have been called during the season cricketers only watch grass being watered by monsoon on cricket pitch. Add to that the quality of competition in Sri Lanka, you would think that these boys are actually lucky.
For that, Nepal cricket coach Pubudu Dassanayake has to be congratulated, and thanked. For it was his relation with the Club’s coach Sajith Fernando that made it possible for Bhattarai and Saud get an entry. As Dassanayake always says, “A national cricketer should not stay idle for more than a month”, he has made sure that these two – fastest of Nepali bowlers – stay fit and in rhythm.
Good job. But one problem remains: How do the players take care of their expenses?
Ever since Denis Compton – that genius who played both cricket and football for England with ease and grace – became a Brylcreem boy, cricket was no longer the same. Once Compton endorsed the brand, it started the era of sponsorships for cricketers by various brands. This was the starting point for cricketers making substantial living by exploiting their sporting reputation through advertisements and endorsements. That was in 1940s.
That was Britain and not Nepal. Agreed… We probably don’t have enough brands that can provide sponsorships. Agreed… But the way Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) gave these players a cold shoulder? That is frustrating. An unnamed source within CAN said, “If we pay for their expenses, there would be 15-16 other players that will demand money. How can we play for all?”
Shameful, if you see the amount of publicity that CAN got, when it started to give monthly stipend to cricketers under contract. And this is not the first time CAN has shown this kind of attitude.
In 2009, when touring MCC team was to play against Nepali team here, Raj Kumar Pradhan and Mehboob Alam could not play the match, despite being in the national team. The reason: CAN asked these players to come to Kathmandu at their own expense. These players are not Kathmandu residents. Any person with decent cricket knowledge knows what MCC is. Even the MCC manager had said then that a few Nepali cricketers had the ability to play in English counties. However, nobody followed it up further.
Now there is window of opportunity for cricketers, by virtue of Nepali performance at ICC World T20 qualifiers, Shakti Gauchan’s short stint with Rajasthan Royals and Paras Khadka playing professionally in Canada. It should be grabbed, with all the might we have. CAN officials, ideally, should have been running from pillar to post to increase its sponsorship earnings to fund the cricketers’ expense. But, set of ideals don’t seem to run Nepali cricket.
In such a condition, the Nepali cricket fans – a loose network on facebook – rallied around, collected and managed to get around USD 500 and gave these players. There was a former Kathmandu cricketer Keshav Yadav, who donated additional USD 300. Crazy stuff? Love for the game? More…
Nowhere in the world we’d see fans doing as much so that their cricketers get proper exposure. Across the world, fans are witnesses, watching from the boundary. Fans are a result of players’ success. Here, they are helping the players to become successful. For that, the fans deserve applause from cricketers.
It is about time CAN learns compassion from the fans.
(Ed: This write-up appeared in Somesh Verma’s weekly column in The Kathmandu Post on 9th June, 2012)
Cricketer Shakti Gauchan has been nominated for the NSJF Popular Player of the Year Award.
Along with the 27-year-old senior cricketer, football’s forward 22-year-old Bharat Khawas, Aslesha Lissanevitch, 16, of tennis, Shakti Gauchan of cricket, Sabita Chaudhary of athletics and Ramila Tandukar, 15, of volleyball were also nominated for award. Continue reading
World Cup winning Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will visit Nepal for a day and interact with Nepali cricketers for a couple of hours at the TU Cricket Ground, daily newspapers reported.
Quoting Indian Embassy’s spokesperson Apoorva Srivastav, The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur national dailies reported that Dhoni will visit Nepal on June 15. Continue reading
Paras Khadka shone for his Canadian Club, in a win, scoring 36. His side, Ontario Cricket Adademy and Club, defeated Malton Cricket Club by 7 wickets in the Pompey Conference match in the Premier Division of Canadian Cricket League on Sunday.
In the match, Malton batted first and put up 113 runs in 41.2 overs. Chasing the target, Ontario overhauled it in 30th over, losing 3 wickets. Shahid Ahmadzai scored 65 as Paras scored 36.
Apparently, Paras had begun his Canadian cricket debut with a 6 against Brampton Masters Tranzac Cricket Club, in his 7-run innings. In the second match, he had scored 3 and took a wicket, against St Edmunds Cricket Club.
Nepal will meet India in the opening match of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup at the Kinrara Oval, Kuala Lumpur on June 23.
In the fixture published by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Nepal will meet hosts Malaysia at Selangor Turf Club on June 25 and Pakistan at Royal Selangor Club on June 26. Continue reading
By the times these lines are read, Nepal’s cricket skipper Paras Khadka would be acclimatizing in Canada, playing for Ontario Cricket Academy & Club, becoming its first Nepali signing.
Canada may not inspire awe as far cricket is concerned, at least not like the Test playing countries. But we cannot forget that this country has already played a World Cup, and has cricket history dating back to 1844, when it played first ever international cricket fixture, against USA.
As we rejoice the selection of Nepali player for his achievement, we also need to understand why he is where he is. Whether you meet him during the match or in a café, you notice the emphasis he puts on the lines ‘leading from the front’. With him it becomes a cliché. Talk to him for an hour and you realize he’s used the line at least 10 times, or maybe 20, perhaps even without realizing.
If you look at his performance, you realize that the words are not mere a part of a rhetoric, but conviction. Conviction has a strange way of manifesting itself, through performance, through attitude and sometimes also through words.
Opinions could be divided on whether Paras Khadka is the best ever cricket captain for Nepal. His supporters may say he is, for being the first captain to have won ICC tournament for Nepal – ICC World Cricket League Division 5. His detractors may say, it is too early to pass judgment. After all, he is yet to celebrate his 25th birthday. And he’s been in charge of Nepali team for just around two and half years. But, there are some in cricket circles already talking about him as the best. That is his biggest success.
Leading from the front is visible when the lad goes into the cricket field, commandeering his teammates (some of whom are older than him). You can hear him on the field, egging other players, aggressively but not too loud. He bowls, both medium pace and spin, and often returns with impressive figures. When batting, more often than not, he leads from the front too, putting a price on his wicket. It is not without reason that ESPNcricinfo glorifies him, saying, “He is also a man for a pressure situation.”
Leading from the front it was, when the captain won three ‘Man of the Match’ awards out of Nepal’s five wins in UAE, during ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers in March this year. The team went on to be ranked seventh, out of 16 that played the qualifiers. We might as well remember that Nepal was ranked 16th before the championship started. Out of 14 T20 victories for Nepal, Paras Khadka has lifted the MoM trophy six times. Conviction or Commitment? Maybe both…
Apart from his cricketing skills, yours truly reckons, it is the off-field Paras Khadka that commands respect, not only from his peers, but also those who follow cricket. It is impressive that a cricketer so young has taken stand for his teammates, without fail. Just before Nepal was to go to Italy to play in ICC World Cricket League Division 4 in 2010, he held a press conference, to tell Cricket Association of Nepal that players deserved to get something out of what the board was making commercially. It was not about making money, but also about the respect that the players deserve. He did not show slight bit of respect to the authority, no fear of being dropped and went ahead doing what he thought was best for his boys. He could be charged guilty for overspeaking, crossing his limits as a cricketer and captain, talking against the board. That perhaps was not his business. But then, he could be forgiven for the fact that he still criticizes present board, when he thinks it is not doing the right thing. Now that CAN has started giving monthly stipend to players under contract, Khadka – who endorses brands like NCell, UFO and Indian cricket equipment company SM – deserves some due for it too. A mix of aggression with dedication. Doubtless…
If Nepal does play World T20 in 2014, as Paras thinks, some credit should go to the man, not only for having the faith, but also for laying the foundation for it.
(Ed: This write-up appeared in Somesh Vermas weekly column in The Kathmandu post – OFFSIDE – on 20th May, 2012)
