Nepali cricket towards future of unprecedented uncertainty

Undeniably Nepali cricket is in a phase of unprecedented uncertainty. There is a vacuum of cricket leadership at the moment.

It maybe recalled that the   International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Cricket Association of Nepal  (CAN) due to government interference in the board.

Despite repeated warnings of dire consequences   by the world cricket body, bureaucracy and politicization of CAN prevailed like never seen before, reaching its saturation point.

ICC had been left with no choice but to punish and suspend CAN.  It was bound to happen, sooner or later.

The world cricket body did the right thing by not banning   the national team from participation in international cricket.

We are grateful to ICC for understanding the unfortunate circumstance and not punishing players for CAN’s misdeeds. 

CAN was further dealt a blow, following the decision to ratify the suspension by the ICC 53-member full council meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland recently.

The good news is that ICC has assured support to Nepal cricket regardless of the situation. That being said, foremost we have to put the house in order and create a conducive and sustainable environment for good governance and leadership.

 I am not sure if it will happen.  For far too long petty politics, political interference has ruined cricket in the country and done more harm than good.

There is nothing new under the sun. We have seen it all before and this tendency is most likely to continue in the future, sadly.

 I say this because sport has never been a top priority for the government. The plain truth is, they do not care much for cricket or any other sport for that matter and takes no responsibility and liability.

All they care about is themselves and work for the benefit of their vested interests. They are blatantly ignoring past mistakes and repeating, time and time again.

Over the last two decades or so, we have seen CAN grossly mismanaged and misgoverned. There have been no serious efforts to make the cricket body accountable to the public and turn things round on part of the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Sports Ministry.

It’s become ever so obvious that the two government agencies are becoming one big joke. It has done nothing to address or improve the situation that has gone from bad to worse.

Whether cricketers or footballers, they are victims of a corrupt system that has badly let them down and destroying sports in the country.

Long as politicians or political appointees run the show, be it sports council or sports associations, nothing is likely to change. It sounds very pessimistic to say so, but it is the bitter truth.

Nepali cricket would not have been in a dire state or could have been different, if only the office bearers had assumed greater responsibilities, coupled with a commitment to honesty, accountability and good governance.

Ambitious Bhawana Ghimere who resigned from Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CAN further speaks volumes about the pathetic state of affairs. She is still the local coordinator for ICC and cricket in Nepal.

Amidst such uncertainty, our cricketers have put on a brave front and carried on playing the game. They have taken responsibility for their own success, with renewed determination and drive to beat the odds heavily stacked against them.

They have proved their potential, mettle in the international arena, earning glory for the country and for themselves.

Presently, much to everyone’s delight the national team of Nepal has embarked upon the much-needed tour of England.

They play a series of exhibitions against local sides. As I write, they have got off to a winning start.  More important, they take on Marylebone Cricket Club in a 50-over match at the historical Lord’s ground on July 19^th. For any cricketer to play at the famous venue is a dream come true,

Skipper Paras Khadkha spearheads a fifteen-member squad that includes a handful of naure like Subash Khakrel and Anil Mandal who have made a comeback.

Likewise, former head coach of Nepal and currently in the role of a Consultant Coach Sri Lankan Pubudu Dassanayake is expected to join the team in England.

The make up of the team may have raised a few eyebrows, however, report suggests that the very best have been picked strictly based on merits.

It appears though the team’s selection is free of controversies. There are no indications of favoritism and partiality on part of the three men selection committee comprising Skipper Khadkha, Coach Jagat Tamata and ICC representative Venkatpathi Raju.

Keeping in mind   the upcoming ICC World Cricket League Championship, the tour of England holds tremendous significance for Team Nepal.

Players must make the most of the important tour to prepare themselves for the crucial clash against the undefeated Dutch side.

Nepal takes on top of the table leader the Netherlands on August 13th and 15th in Netherlands.

A lot is at stake for Nepal, especially with four top teams making it to the 2018 ICC World Cup Qualifiers. With 4 points from six matches, Nepal is currently at fifth position and needs a very good result to keep their hopes alive.

The bottom line is: they cannot afford to lose against the formidable opposition in their backyard. Having said that, they are beatable and let us not forget that Nepal has beaten them before.

Nepal, however, will need a collective brilliance of its players to succeed. Players must be physically conditioned and mentally prepared to meet the challenge. 

It is equally important that players selected for the competition are the   very best. The selection has to be strictly based on merit and merit should never get compromised.