Cricketers must rise to the occasion to corner glory

With   only a few days to go,   it   looks, though; the national cricket team of Nepal is ready to flex their muscles in the ACC Twenty20 qualifiers in   Kathmandu.

The competition   brings   ten   recognizable names to town. Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Maldives, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Afghanistan, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain are vying for top honors.  

Apparently, there is plenty at stakes for teams in the tournament. The   winners and runners-up advance to 2013 ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers taking place in the UAE later this year.

The   final qualifying round   will have   sixteen regional qualifiers   fighting   for six spots. In other words, the   top six finishers   will move to the final round of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

They   will join   ten full member teams which have   already qualified automatically   to the competition.

The eagerly awaited ACC Twenty20 spectacle   is expected   to put   cricket   aficionados on the edge of their seats.

The nature of the newest version of   limited over cricket   is such that the excitement never ends. No wonder it’s become a craze.

The sport is so unpredictable that anything can happen, and we have seen   it often. It is fast paced, drama - filled, gripping and riveting. There is no such   thing   as   guarantee in the game.

When   all is said and done, what it comes down to is that anybody can win, especially the one with the best approach, coupled with a positive mindset, consistency and high confidence level.

Interestingly, Coach Pubudu   Dassanayake and his boys   are looking for their third   championship title in a row.  The big question is: Do they really stand a chance in the competition? Opinions may vary. 

I say yes. This may sound like a diehard   partisan fan.  I genuinely think Team Nepal has a very, very good chance to win the whole thing.

2012 was an   extraordinary year   for   the senior   national   team   in terms of accomplishment. They   finally were able   to   snap their long losing streak by winning two very important tournaments.

All in all, the team put up a stellar performance that we had not seen before. Also individual brilliance   made a world of difference in securing the good result.

They must   replicate   their form which helped them win ICC World Cricket League Division 4 and ACC Elite Cup last year.

They cannot afford to kill any momentum built up in the last ten or so months. I would also add that, equally important is   they make the most   of 

home advantage.

There is literally no room for complacency and mediocrity. Most of their   opponents   are familiar faces that they have played, time and time again, in recent years.

Nevertheless, they should avoid the mistake   of   undermining   or underestimating opposition, otherwise, it could sure prove to be costly for them.

In my opinion   Nepal is    one of the favorites. The team skippered by experienced all rounder Paras Khadka is a   blend of experience, talent and youth.

Names in the likes of Shakti Gauchan, Sharad Vesawkar, Gyanendra   Malla and many more makes   them a formidable squad. Hopefully, the selectors have not blundered and picked the best players available.

That being said, the host can assure themselves a place in the final qualifiers in the UAE only if they perform to their true potential. This is another big opportunity for them to   rise to the occasion and impress the global cricketing community.

The pre-tournament preparation undertaken by the team was decent. They travelled to India where they played a series of one day matches, which included four 50 over and   six Twenty20.

It was a mixed bag result wise. That says a lot. There is plenty of room for improvement and players seriously need to work on their shortcomings right before start of the competition.

Coach Dassanayake is doing   a   fantastic   job under difficult circumstances. He is well   aware of the team’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and he is definitely doing his very best to overcome it.

We can   whine all we want about what the coach or players should do or be doing. At the end of the day, it boils   down to their ability to deliver the goods when it matters most. My advice to players is: You must step your game up   and give your best.