Nepal suffered a seven-wicket defeat in the final played at the Tribhuvan University Ground on Wednesday as Afghanistan lifted the fourth ACC T20 title in a row. [break]However, Nepal secured its berth in the World T20 Qualifiers reaching the semifinals of the tournament alongside the UAE, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
Improved performance
Nepal, which had won World Cricket League Division 4 and the ACC Trophy Elite some six months ago, started the T20 tournament thrashing minnow Maldives but lost momentum against Hong Kong in the second match, which Nepal lost by six wickets. Nepal bounced back to grab victories against Malaysia and Singapore in the group stage. Nepal edged past higher ranked team, the UAE, by six wickets in the semifinal.
A final match between Afghanistan and Nepal. (Photo: Bikash Karki)
Nepali team scored altogether 928 runs in the tournament, including five half centuries. Skipper Paras Khadka and Pradeep Airee scored two half-centuries each while Binod Bhandari scored one. Skipper Khadka amassed 207 runs and took four wickets in the tournament to emerge the man-of-the-series.
Basant Regmi claimed 10 wickets and became the second highest wicket taker in the tournament. Shakti Gauchan took eight wickets in the tournament while Prithu Baskota claimed six wickets in the four matches he played.
“It is the same team it was some 15 months ago. We were not even close to teams like the UAE and Afghanistan. But by now, we have gained a lot of confidence,” said Nepali team coach Pubudu Dassanayake.
Cricket analyst Ujjwal Acharya said reaching the first ever T20 final is in itself an achievement. “In addition to qualifying for the World T20 Qualifiers, the Nepali team has gained confidence,” said Acharya. “We had reached the semifinals in the last tournament in 2011 but our team was not as confident. I have seen that Nepali players have matured and understand the match situation better,” he added.
Paras Khadka greets crowd after a half century. (Photo: Bikash Karki)
If Acharya is to be believed, the performance gap between Nepal and Afghanistan is still huge. He claimed lack of match exposure is a major setback for the Nepali team. “After the ACC Trophy, our team had played only a few practice matches against some Indian clubs but Afghanistan had spent 27 days on the ground playing official international matches,” explained Acharya.
Prospects for World T20 Cup 2014
Nepal had finished the World T20 Qualifiers in the seventh position in 2012 and we can expect Nepal to climb a notch this time around in the tournament be held in the UAE in November. The World T20 Qualifiers is played among top 16 associate member nations of ICC. Of them, the top six will advance to the World T20 Cup 2014.
“We have a chance to reach World T20 Cup but we need good preparations,” said skipper Khadka.
“We have a chance but reaching the World T20 Cup is no mean feat. We have to defeat teams, including those with ODI-status,” said analyst Acharya.
Overwhelming turnout
In every match Nepal played in the tournament, there were more than 12,000 spectators while around 20,000 turned up for the final alone. The organizing committee raised around Rs 4.1 million from ticket sales.
However, security was a serious concern during the tournament since the only international cricket ground of the country lacks proper infrastructure.
“The crowd of was amazing but we could not manage them properly since we introduced ticket entry for spectators to the TU Ground,” admitted General Secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Ashok Nath Pyakuryal. “The overwhelming turnout has underscored the need for CAN to develop proper infrastructure. We will now press the government and also come up with our own plans,” added Pyakuryal.
The Nepali cricket fans, known for their notorious conduct, silenced the critics this time around.
“We were under pressure in the final. This time the crowd behaved,” said Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi after the final match.
Discipline still an issue
Nepali cricketers covered the sponsor logos in their jersey in the first match of the tournament saying they were not liable to sponsors. The CAN settled the issue by the next match but the event exposed indiscipline of players and communication gap between players and management.
“It was sad to watch the drama unfold on the ground. The matter should have been solved behind closed doors,” said Acharya.
Focus now on World T20 Qualifiers: Khadka
How do you rate the team´s performance in the ACC T20?
We have improved a lot in the T20 format. Until the last edition, none of the teams would take us seriously in this format. By this time, we earned respect from opponents as we have surprised them. However, we know the areas to improve.
What was your reaction after losing the final against Afghanistan?
We were disappointed. After beating the UAE, which had defeated Afghanistan, we were expecting title victory. As a player we know, how difficult it is to be in the final. After reaching the final, everyone wants to win the cup. We had worked very hard to reach the final and we feel bad to lose the cup.
Have we achieved something from the tournament other than the qualification to the World T20 Qualifiers?
Yes. The way our youngsters performed is the biggest achievement in the tournament. The way Pardeep Airee, Prithu Baskota and Binod Bhandari performed and gained the confidence is the real achievement for us. Meanwhile, we performed as a team and everyone was able to perform and take the leadership whenever the team needed.
We have been qualified for the World T20 Qualifiers for the second time. How far are we from the World T20 Cup?
We have a chance to reach the World T20 Cup since six teams are to progress from the qualifiers. What we need is good preparation for the tournament.
By the end of this month, ICC World Cricket League Division 3 is to start. How is the team´s preparations?
It is the most important tournament for us. If we secure promotion from Division 3, we will not only get closer to the Cricket World Cup but also to the ODI-status. If we achieved the ODI-status, we would get the opportunity to play international cricket throughout the calendar. Thus, all the members of the team are focused to the tournament.
What do you expect from the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and other sports authorities in your pursuit of the World Cup and ODI status?
We have very weak domestic cricket structure and we lack proper infrastructures. CAN and the government should work to improve domestic infrastructures. If they fail to do so, our World Cup hopes will remain a dream. Meanwhile, they should work toward making players feel secured about their future. They should invite corporate sectors to promote cricket and cricketers. On the technical side, we should play against good teams. We need exposure to better teams to excel and CAN should come up with a proper plan for this.
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