The whole country is in election mode. With the festive season behind us, the November 19 vote is the topic of discussion at social gatherings. But there is something besides the scheduled CA polls that is worth being excited about at the start of this winter.
The Nepali national cricket team is today leaving for the UAE to take part in the ICC World T20 Qualifiers starting next week, and if things go according to plan, by the end of this month Nepal would be in line to play its maiden top-notch international cricket tournament: the World T20 to be held in Bangladesh in 2014. [break]
All Nepali cricket fans will be watching the Nepali team in action in the UAE with baited breath. Many believe that T20 offers Nepal the best bet of success at the highest level. The longer the format of the game, the greater the need for good technique with both bat and ball. For an emerging cricketing nation like Nepal, with its roster of talented but experience-shy cricketers, there is no better opportunity than World T20 to shine at the international stage.
The UAE Qualifiers will feature 16 teams divided into two groups, with the winners of each group directly qualifying for the World T20 while other teams in the top-five of each group will advance to the second round. The top six teams in the second round will make it to Bangladesh.
Nepal faces tough competition in Group B after being drawn alongside Afghanistan, Scotland, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Bermuda and Denmark. The group features four ODI playing nations, including Afghanistan, the firm favorites for automatic qualification from the group.
But Nepal has shown that it can toe with its closest non-Test playing South Asian rival in cricket. In their last T20 meeting, Nepal lost to Afghanistan by just three runs. Success won’t come easy though, especially since Nepal has had little cricket outside the country in the lead up, besides the team’s limited exposure in India in the last few months.
The form of Nepali batsmen is particularly worrying. But coach Prabudu Dassanayake does not see this as much of an issue. In the fast and furious world of T20 cricket, it only takes a couple of good shots to be back in business. Bowling is less of a problem for Nepal with its balanced pace and spin attacks.
The most fascinating aspect of the T20 format is its unpredictability. The last four World T20 tournaments have crowned four separate winners. We believe Nepal has a good enough line-up under the capable leadership of captain Paras Khadka to get the job done in the UAE Qualifiers. The single biggest determinant of Nepal’s success would be the belief that they are capable of competing against the best in the game.
And they very well might be! The game’s popularity in Nepal has been steadily rising and more and more youngsters are taking it up seriously. It is only a matter of time before Nepal shines on the international stage. In these divisive times, Nepali cricketers could give all Nepalis something to cheer about as one. The success of its cricket team in the UAE will be so much more than a symbolic victory for a country in difficult transition.
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