NEPAL'S CRICKET JOURNEY: A COMBINATION OF FACTORS
Like being the Asian champion in football‚ it will be impossible to compete with Australia‚ India and other test playing nations. But what about the second tier of countries‚ which are the non-test playing nations? Well‚ here Nepal has a huge chance of being the best among them
The last over blitz by Sharad Vesawkar against Kenya heralded a new beginning in the cricketing history of Nepal. In fact, more than 6, 6, 2, 4 it was a statement. It was a display of both immense confidence and character in the present Nepali cricketing team, which was lacking during earlier times. No doubt, it laid the foundation for the final match against Hong Kong and the result is that Nepal is playing in T20 WC 2014. The very fact that the team dealt wonderfully under pressure oozing with confidence is validated by no other than Brian Lara in his Twitter commen. This means Nepali cricket deserves respect now.
Ever since the arrival of the new coach Prabudu Dassanayake, the face of cricket in Nepal has changed in a most recognizable way. Winning tournaments, climbing up in the divisional ranks, beating other non-test playing nations regularly mean Nepali cricket team has grown in stature.
Credit has to be given to the previous coach Roy Dias who came, saw and gave Nepali cricket team that competitive feeling, which hitherto had a laid back style. And then the appointment of Prabudu Dassanayake, it has really been a godsend to the country. The immediate impact from his arrival was seen by the change in the style of playing and the team craving for bigger achievements. His intentions were clear from the very beginning, one of them being the T20 WC2014 qualification. It resulted in a dramatic shift in the team psyche and very soon the team began to win every single match. From playing in the ICC divisional championship III and winning it, it was a fairy tale ride for Nepal. With that kind of winning form, the cricketing fans and the team slowly began to feel if the time had really come for Nepal to play in the World Cup. And finally it did come. And when it came, it shook the nation, which otherwise was living in a quagmire, disillusionment and political disenchantments. It has indeed brought a much needed hope, encouragement and positive vibe to the nation.
Prabudu Dassanayake has been a fantastic coach who was quickly able to pinpoint the core areas for the team’s success. He realized that more than the talent and skill, the team was lacking in ability to convert them into results. He knew the answer. It was the exposure. He then took the actions by helping the players to get international exposure as much as possible in a limited time. Much of what we see in the pitch and the results are the culmination of a long process of gap analysis, tactful strategy, preparation and effective implementation. In Nepali cricket’s case, luckily it has all fallen in place. Prabudu Dassanayake must be a happy man.
If we look at the sports in general in Nepal, we have football and cricket which outscore any other sports. For a while, let’s analyze the realistic possibility of the extent of moving forward in these sports be it in the regional or global arena. If we look at football, the first target for Nepal would be to become the SAARC champion. For that, we need to beat teams like India and Afghanistan, which are supposed to be the top teams in the region. Can Nepal do it? Looking at the recent matches we have played against them, it does not seem impossible. The gap is not that big. Then if we are the consistent powerhouse of the region, then our next goal will be the Asian champion. Can we do it? Is there a chance of beating countries like South Korea, Japan, etc?
Now let’s take cricket. Like being the Asian champion in football, it will be impossible to compete with Australia, India and other test playing nations. But what about the second tier of countries, which are the non-test playing nations? Well, here Nepal has a huge chance of being the best among them. Unlike in football, this target is very realistic. The gap is not much wide as in football as we have seen during the qualifying games in UAE and also I am sure that the Nepali cricket team and the coach agree on that. We just need improvements and this is very achievable. Nepal must make a plan, strategize it and put achievable targets so that it too starts getting recognition from the world sports fraternity. If we look at the world of cricket right now, it is no secret that BCCI and India dominate the sports with its financial power. Because of the greater proximity and reach, why should Nepal not try to attract the attention from the big powers and take advantage if it brings good to Nepali sports? If ECB and English players can help neighboring countries like Ireland and Scotland, why don’t we seek the same from India ? If ZeeTV tried to bring Nepal to the cricketing limelight in the late 1990s by building infrastructure and telecasting live cricket telecasts, there is nothing wrong in looking for other potentials too.
Finally, one of the most interesting comments that I heard during the match against Hong Kong was from former cricketers like Waqar Younis and Nick Knight. After seeing a huge crowd of Nepali fans in Abhu Dhabi stadium, they were quite surprised to state that Nepal is only country where there are more than 20,000 spectators coming for a cricket match and the number is the largest amongst the entire non-test playing countries. If I can see the potential and Waqar and Nick Knight have similar views, I don’t think ICC is not smart enough to put the money where the mouth is.
