Nepali cricketers dogged by inconsistency

Of course it would have been    a    feat of sort     had   Nepal    lifted the SAARC Under- 25 Twenty-20 Cricket tournament held in Maldives. Sorry   for   being   hypothetical   here. 

We all   know it did not happen, and a staunch supporter like me obviously felt and feels somewhat   disenchanted. I wish it was so true.  As a fan you want your team to win at all cost.

I confess I did not feel totally embittered considering the fact that we went into the tournament  with  the  underdog status, and we were up  against  the three best  teams in  the game.

That said, I will say though our boys had the opportunity to showcase their potential, which they did to some extent. However, it was not enough to earn   us what we   had hoped for.

Never mind the end result. On the whole   the boys   put up a    gritty and   competitive   performance against opponents in the likes of India, Sri Lanka   and   Pakistan.

In spite of the setback, signs   are   encouraging, nevertheless.  Given the right environment and   right opportunities, we have the potential to achieve a lot more than what we have so far, a statement I always repeat.  

Having   lost to Sri Lanka in the opener, we bounced back to   register   a surprise win   over India in the second game, a victory well deserved. The boys stole thunder with their   solid batting

In the crucial match against Pakistan it was a must win situation for us to reach the last four.  We got off to a promising start only to fade away at the end of the day.   

Our bowlers came out firing on all cylinders and had the opposition back   against the wall. In a superb spell of bowling Krishna Karki demolished the top batting order and had them reeling for 55 for 7 in 12 overs. He scalped four wickets   for 11 runs.

However, the bowlers’   inability to mop up the tail enabled Pakistan to set up a healthy   score. From a rickety   position   they went on to amass 176 for 9. Indeed   it was   a fantastic comeback. Admittedly, we allowed a super chance slip by to put ourselves in the driver’s seat.

Then it was left to the batsmen to deliver the goods and finish off   in style.  All they needed to do   was bat sensibly and confidently   like they did against India to carve out another famous victory that seemingly was doable.

Contrary to expectations   the middle order   literally buckled under pressure only to see our effort go up in flames. Despite a good start  there was hardly any  semblance  of resistance from the  so called  batting  specialists who  failed  to cope with  the  opposition’s well  coordinated and  effective  bowling.

Looking back at our performances   it is fair to say that we lacked consistency and ability to rise to the occasion when it mattered most. In fact   this aspect of the game has been our   Achilles’   heel   for a good number of years.

Sri Lankan Pubudu Dassanayake   who stepped into Roy Dias’ shoes is aware of his challenges. He   is unwavering in his determination to   take Nepali cricket to the next level but that is easier said than done.

Time will   speak if   he lives up to   expectations. What is true is that he alone cannot achieve what he aspires under the present circumstance that is far from congenial.   The coach has rightly said that we have   the   talent   to become   a powerhouse in the game.

The   future of    Nepali cricket  largely  hinges on  the  success  of Cricket Association of  Nepal  (CAN) in terms of   leadership,  honesty,  professionalism,  effective governance  and  commitment.

Political   interference   in sports, which include cricket,    has reached an all- time high.  Evidently it has literally ruined   sports    in a very big way.   Long as political meddling persists, I am afraid nothing positive will materialize for cricket and cricketers, which is very regrettable and lamentable.

Driven by   love   of the country and game   our cricketers continue to play   cricket   passionately and fervently.  The   upcoming   ACC Twenty20Cup tournament in Kathmandu   is   another   opportunity   for them to   display   their    sporting prowess   and   glorify the country.