Malaysia will host the Division 4 from September 3 to 11 in Kuala Lumpur. CAN will announce final squad of 14 players later. CAN has not published the name of final 14 though the International Cricket Council (ICC) had set a deadline of July 25 (Wednesday) for sending the list of final squad to it. [break]
Kumal, who got a surprise call, had impressed coaches and selectors during the Wai-Wai U-19 National Tournament held in Kathmandu on April. Kumal, player of Region No 6 Baitadi, had taken six wickets during the U-19 tournament and helped Baitadi to win the title.
Pacer Kumal was not called in the 24-member preliminary squad for the ACC U-19 Asia Cup held in Malaysia last month. Coach Pubudu Dassanayake had prefered fast bowlers Saurav Khanal and Ram Naresh Giri then.
Coach Dassanayake called in Kumal in the preliminary squad after a group of players from Baitadi suggested his name to the coach. Kumal is the first player of Achham district to find a place in the preliminary squad.
All-rounder Alam and opener Lohani are not included in the 18-member preliminary squad.
Alam, probably the most popular name in Nepal´s cricket for his hard-hitting capacity and 10-wicket haul against Mozambique, and Lohani, who had made a return to the national squad in World T20 Cup Qualifiers, both had failed to perform in the World T20 Qualifiers in UAE. Dassanayake excluded Alam in two matches in the qualifiers. Alam scored 34 runs in 7 matches and took only one wicket.
Lohani too failed to impress making only 24 runs in four matches in the qualifiers, for which he was called after he declared himself unavailable for the national team training for the ACC T20 Elite Cup.
Young bowler Krishna Karki is also axed from the national team. Karki was in the national squad during World T20 Qualifiers but he didn´t get oppotunity to play a single match in the UAE. Coach Dassanayake had dropped Karki from the last two matches of the ACC U-19 Asia Cup.
However, former captain Binod Das has made a return in the squad. Das, one of the most successful Nepali pacer, has been given a final opportunity to prove himself. After average performance in ACC T20 Elite Cup, where he was only given limited opportunity, Das was dropped from the national team in the World T20 Qualifiers. Alam, Lohani and Das all debuted for national team in 2000.
The 18-member squad includes Paras Khadka, Gyanendra Malla, Sharad Vesawkar, Amrit Bhattarai, Shakti Gauchan, Basant Regmi, Sanjam Regmi and Rahul BK.
Wicketkeeper Mahesh Chhetri, who was dropped from T20 squads in both the ACC T20 Cup and World T20 Qualifiers, has been recalled for the preliminary squad.
Likewise, Pradeep Airee, Prithu Baskota, Chandra Saud, Sagar Pun, Binod Bhandari, Anil Mandal, Subash Khakurel are also included in the list of 18 players.
This is the first time in 16 years that the national team is being announced without a national event. CAN asked coach Pubudu Dassanayake to recommend names for the team after failing to organize national tournament.
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