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  The men’s national football team of Nepal made an early exit from the 14th edition of the South Asian Federation Football  Championship, following two successive defeats in Bengaluru,India. As a result ,Nepal's hopes  for South Asian Federation  Football Championship (SAFFC)  glory  went up in flames, agonizingly prolonging the wait. Yet another attempt goes in vain.We have been waiting for far too long. With every passing year, the wait is getting  longer and frustrating. The presence of formidable teams from outside the South Asian region does make the competition more competitive and at the  same time more challenging for the regional outfits,which is a good thing.  South Asian  countries must prioritize the championship and embrace the challenge for performance excellence.  The objective must be to prove themselves and make an impression in the competition, and for that they will need  adequate, proper and timely prepara...

  A disastrous batting  performance by Nepal against the Netherlands ended their campaign in the ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Nepal was haunted by batting failures yet again.They concluded  the tournament with 3 defeats  and one win, falling far short of expectations. The deciding match, a toss-up between the two  sides, was expected to be a thriller.But it   proved anticlimactic as the  Netherlands crushed Nepal by 7  wickets at the end. The win puts  the Netherlands in the Super Six,thus  keeping their hopes of  qualifying to the final round in India alive. The decision to bowl first after winning the toss paid off for the winners.The bowlers were up to their task and succeeded in overwhelming  and pinning down the shaky batting order from top to  bottom.  Pacer Logan van Beek  wrecked havoc with his express  short deliveries, making  important breakthroughs in critical stages of the game. Tak...

  Once a powerhouse,West Indies lived up to  their reputation by  handing Nepal a crushing defeat  in the ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. They registered a thumping 101  run victory against the hapless opponent who had hoped to stage an upset win. The Windies’ victory would have been more emphatic  had it not been the  gutsy batting by the  middle order and  lower order,coupled with sloppy fielding by the winners. On an ideal batting pitch the  Caribbeans dug themselves out of the hole to  post a massive 339 for 7 in the allocated 50 overs.   It was an exhibition of solid, confident, technically sound and delightful batting, especially by the two centurions who literally plundered the  mediocre and demoralized  bowling attack.  The  216  runs partnership for the fourth  wicket between skipper Shai Hope(132)  and   Nicholas Pooran( 115)was the turning point of the match.. Their bliste...

  Predictably Nepal went down  to  overwhelming favorites Kuwait 3-1 in the opener of the  South Asian Federation Football Championship in Bengaluru, India. Yet again a poor start to the tournament  for Nepal. As a result,their chances of defying the odds and walking away with the trophy seems less likely at this point. Given  the opponent’s strengths and performance,the result  was beyond doubt in the end.To me the  3-1 scoreline doesn’t look bad for a team that  entered the  championship woefully underprepared. Although Nepal’s defeat was a foregone conclusion, prior to the match,the question on everyone’s mind was, could they spring a surprise? Now we know  the  answer is  no as  per the  outcome  of the match.The formidable middle eastern outfit lived up to expectations and tournament hype. The winners were dominant throughout the match technically,tactically and physically. The game was  played dee...

In a must win situation Nepal carved out a convincing six wickets victory over the United States in the ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Chasing a  modest total of 208, Nepal overcame early  batting jitters to close the deal comfortably in 43 overs. Coming at number three Bhim Sarki batted brilliantly for his  unbeaten 77 and carried his bat till the end, ensuring  the much needed victory for the  team. He  was focused, applied himself and batted with confidence. He timed the ball  beautifully and punished loose and bad balls whenever opportunities arose. He shared two crucial partnerships. First  with  Kushal  Bhurtel who contributed a useful 39 runs. Later he teamed up with all rounder Dipendra Singh Airee  to guide Nepal to victory. Airee put in  a stellar   performance by  scoring  an unbeaten 39 runs and picking up 2 wickets. The bowlers bounced back after a somewhat subdued performance in the opening ma...

The  men’s national football team  of Nepal   takes on Kuwait in the opener of  the 14th edition of the South Asian Federation  Football  Championship which  kicks off  on Tuesday in  Bengaluru, India. Eight teams are competing in the region’s biggest and prestigious tourney.The highlight of this year’s edition is the participation of  two outsiders Kuwait and Lebanon. Missing from the tournament is Sri Lanka, suspended  by FIFA for an indefinite period . The presence of Kuwait and Lebanon is likely to spice up the tournament,making it more competitive,intriguing and interesting . Despite the significance of the South Asian Federation Football championship (SAFFC),participants have not benefited much in the true sense. The tournament unquestionably is an important platform for emerging talents  in the region to showcase their skills.   However, the competition lags  behind in quality,and the standard of play leav...