Baskota to lead CAN XI in Dehradun

KATHMANDU, May 23: Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has informed that a team led by Prithu Baskota would play the 31st All India Uttarakhand Gold Cup Cricket Tournament in Dehradun on the name of CAN XI. CAN organized a press conference on Thursday and informed that the team would leave for Dehradun via Dhangadhi.



Only seven players of the national team that clinched the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 are included in the 14-member team of CAN XI. "Captain Paras Khadka, Gyanendra Malla and Basant Regmi are in process to play professional cricket in Canada. Sharad Vesawkar, Rahul Vishwakarma and Subash Khakurel are injured while two bowlers, Amrit Bhattarai and Sanjam Regmi, have been are rested," said Ashok Nath Pyakuryal, the general secretary of CAN. [break]



CAN XI led by Baskota includes Bhuwan Karki as vice-captain. Shakti Gauchan, Anil Mandal, Binod Bhandari, Pradeep Airee, Sagar Pun, Ram Naresh Giri, Naresh Budhair, Avinash Karn, Chandra Sawad, Yagyaman Kumal, Mahendra Chand and Rajesh Pulami are the members of CAN XI. CAN has assigned former national team captain Binod Das as the coach of the team while Purna Kumar Lama and Jyanendra Jha will accompany the team as manager and physio respectively. According to Pyakuryal, wicketkeeper Mahendra Chand is currently staying in Delhi and will join the team in Dehradun.



"We hope it would be a good practice tour for Nepali team. We have given the opportunities to young players as our national team coach Pubudu Dassanayake suggested us to do so," said Pyakuryal.



Nepal will take on ONGC Limited, Air India and KGK Jaipur in the group stage matches of the tournament, which is participated by 16 teams. The tournament carries a prize of INR 150,000 for the winner.



National team felicitated

Himalayan White House International College on Thursday felicitated national cricket team that won ICC World Cricket League Division 3. National Sports Council Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama and the college CEO Yuvaraj Sharma handed over letters of appreciation to all players and a sum of Rs 101,111 to the team.



Meanwhile, the college felicitated former national team captain Binod Das, who studies in the college. It also handed over a support of Rs 25,000 to the National Cricket Academy, where Das is working as a coaching staff.

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