Malla, a 23-year-old from Kathmandu, will join Ontario, the division I side of Canada. Regmi, 27, will play for JTA Sports Club, the division II side. Both the players, who are currently affiliated to Armed Police Force in domestic cricket, said that their clubs would bear the traveling and accommodation expenses. They will be staying in Canada for two months. However, both of them refrained from disclosing the details. [break]
Basanta Regmi and Gyanendra Malla
Malla, who played for U-15, U-17 and U-19 age groups in a single year in 2005, debuted for the national side in 2006. He had scored three half-centuries in his debut tournament, the ACC Trophy in 2006.
He was an important member of the national squad when it lifted the ACC Trophy for the first time last year. He had scored 212 runs in the tournament. He had scored 178 runs in ICC World Cricket League Division 4. He had played cameo roles to guide Nepal to the final of ACC T20 Cup and to seal WCL Division 3 title.
“To play in Canada is an exposure as well as opportunity for me. The rainy season is an off-season for cricket in Nepal but I’ll get my dose of cricket in Canada,” said Malla, who also runs Kathmandu Cricket Training Center.
“As players from test nations like India, West Indies and ODI nation like Afghanistan will come there, I can enhance my cricket skills,” he added.
Both the players were grateful to coach Pubudu Dassanayake for arranging the opportunities.
Regmi, who made his national team debut in 2006 during the Intercontinental Cup play-off against Namibia, is the regular member of national squad since then. Regmi had put up a man-of-the-match performance against New Zealand in the plate-championship final of the U-19 World Cup in 2006.
He took 21 wickets in the Division 4 tournament to guide Nepal to title victory last year. It was the most wickets taken by a Nepali bowler in a single tournament. He claimed 14 wickets in the tournament as Nepal clinched ACC Trophy title and 12 wickets in the recently concluded Division 3 tournament.
“Playing for a Canadian club will obviously help me improve my game. It’s an opportunity for me. I hope I can perform well there and pave way for other Nepali cricketers,” said Regmi, who hails from Bhairahawa. “I’m not taking any pressure and if there’s a trace then it’ll vanish as soon as I bowl my first ball there. I want to utilize the opportunity to its fullest,” he added.
Skipper Paras Khadka is also in line to join Ontario but he is yet to make the final decision because of his shoulder injury.
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