Team Nepal makes history in Zimbabwe

A very big  congratulations to  Team Nepal for earning the One Day International Status. You deserved it. You have made yourselves and the country extremely proud.

We are so proud of you.All your hard work , never give up attitude finally paid rich dividends, despite challenges  and adversity. It is a historical  accomplishment for  Nepal cricket, and we should relish and celebrate the moment.

My congratulations to Skipper Paras Khadka and the entire  coaching staff  for their relentless effort in the pursuit  of greatness.

From Namibia to Zimbabwe, it has been a roller coaster ride for the team with some high points and low points. They have managed to ride out the storm and has  come out as big winners at the end. They did not let up in their efforts till the last ball. We could not have asked for more.

The achievement is huge and a milestone in the cricket  history of the country. It is a new dawn for cricket in Nepal and opens up new avenues and exciting possibilities for cricket in the country.

Back to the play off match, yet again Nepal found themselves in a  spot of bother. There was not the slightest room  for complacency. Regardless ,they had to win and  come out firing on all cylinders.

It was no time to let down.  Much to everyone’s relief, they produced a dominating performance and effortlessly eased past Papua New Guinea,keeping   their One Day International Status Hopes alive.

Another  day, another match was not required by Nepal to  seal the deal or break the suspense that kept everyone on the edge of their seats.

It turned out to be a very short wait. I felt very relieved because I didn't have to resort to guessings and speculations  further.

Hours after Nepal  completed a comprehensive victory over Papua New Guinea , they  earned the One Day International Status, following the defeat of Hong Kong at the hands of the Netherlands.

The run chase for Nepal was made relatively easy largely to bowlers  excellent performance.In fact, it was by far their best showing in the competition to date. It came at the right time and the right moment.

The bowlers performance  was key to Nepal’s  success.They had to perform well and restrict the opposition from scoring big to ease the pressure on the inconsistent batsmen.

Right from the word go the bowlers were up to their task, bang on target and bottled up the opponent with an array of tight, accurate and sharp bowling.

Every bowler rose to the occasion  but spinning duo Sandeep Lamichhane and Dipendra Singh Airee  stood out.

They ripped through the batting order, restricting the opponent to a meager 114 runs. The two claimed 4 wickets each. To sum up, it was an outstanding piece of bowling. It is fair to say that the bowlers won the match for the team.

In reply,there was the usual batting hiccups, however, man of the match, the highly talented allrounder Airee dazzled with the bat scoring a brilliant 50 and guidedh his team to a resounding victory. Upcoming Aarif Sheikh contributed a valuable 26.

Nepal takes on the Netherlands for the seventh position.Having  earned the One Day International status and with the pressure off their backs,Khadka and his boys  have the momentum,  but it would be a mistake if they relax and let their guard down. They still have a job to finish.

Nepal has  already achieved big and have  nothing to lose  against the Netherlands. They need to be one  hundred percent focused and  put in a solid performance.

It is  very important to finish  the competition on a high note. if they do so, they stand a very good chance to emerge victorious at the end of the day.