Politics destroying cricket in Nepal

Cricket   is   rapidly   climbing the popularity   chart   in Nepal.  Arguably the second most popular team event behind football that is widely played in every nook and cranny. The presence of   a   huge fan base across the   country   boggles   my   mind.

Cricket   aficionados’   enthusiasm and   passion   is at an all -time high. The   game continues to   grow strictly in terms of popularity despite the sorry state.

 Driven by their   love of cricket   and   dream   to represent the country an increasing   number   of   youngsters   (both sexes) are playing the game.

Speaking   of   talent, we   have plenty in our ranks, and   the   upcoming   aspirants   have   demonstrated their ability to perform high quality cricket in international competitions for years.

The junior teams, especially   have been front and center for their   stellar performances and earned accolades from cricket observers   across the globe. The same cannot be said about   the   senior national team that has under – performed   and   struggled   for consistency.

2011 was   another dismal   year for the seniors. They were in action in a couple of  Twenty20 competitions but failed to achieve anything   of significance. In the 1^st SAARC   championship held in Male, Maldives they failed to reach the last four despite a victory over India.

The ACC Cup played in Kathmandu was a huge setback for us. Not only did the team squandered a   glorious chance to win   the   tournament but finished   a very disappointing fourth.  As such, there is no excuse for the bad showing.

We played   poorly, pure and simple. It was, obvious that in both competitions the team was dogged by inconsistency and frail batting. The new Sri Lankan coach Pubudu   Dassanayake who replaced country man Roy  Dias has a real challenge on his hands.

We will have to  wait and see  how he prepares the team for the ICC Twenty20 Global qualifiers and Division Four of World Cricket League taking place  in 2012.

The   shining light for Nepali cricket has been the Under-19 team .2011 was a rollercoaster year for the  young Turks. They qualified to the ICC Under-19 World Cup taking place later this year in Queensland, Australia.

The youngsters  dished out a superb gutsy performance to finish second  behind Ireland. It is hoped that they   keep  their  good work  in  Australia against Australia, England and Ireland. Prior to this , they  play in the first ever U-19 Asia Cup.

Despite   unprecedented popularity, cricket is far from developed in terms   of   infrastructure   and professionalism.  Whatever   facilities exist   is negligible and   inadequate in which a development is not feasible for cricket sustenance. To add, there is lack of playing opportunities and sponsorship .

There   is   no  political will , adequate and sustainable funding on part of the government.  To make matters worse,  Cricket  Association of Nepal (CAN) has  failed to live up to its promises and continues to be politicalized.

A glaring   example of this is the   change of guard at CAN . Mr. Tanka   Anbuhang, another political appointee who   replaced  Binaya Raj Pandey as  the new president of CAN.  He was elected unopposed  recently, thus   making  a mockery of the  much talked about election.

 Understandably,   the election was more or less a farce, and  as  usual it  was/is  more politics than anything. With so much to be done and achieved ,  I will  not  be surprised  if  Mr  Anbuhang  , a non -cricketing  person    ends up  with a whimper.

I  hope  Mr Anbuhang  and his team proves  a skeptic   like me wrong. I have seen   CAN   under the leadership  of two  well  known  names of  Nepali cricket in the likes of  Jay  Kumar Shah  and Binaya Raj Pandey .

The two   controlled   cricket   association for several decades and considering their position, clout and connection then (especially during the Panchayat era)   they could and   should  have done a whole lot more, which unfortunately did not happen.

When   Mr   Pandey   took over the  baton   from   Shah   expectations  peaked  based on his experience, expertise, knowledge  and vision.  Though he did a few   positive things here and there, however, he   did   not   live up to his words.

To succeed the newly elected cricket   body   must   display commitment to the principles they serve, coupled   with honesty and accountability. And   more importantly, they   have  to  rise above petty interests and  work  for the cause  to the best of their ability.

Otherwise, cricket  development will stagnant  further,  and cricketers  will continue to wrestle with their plight.