KATHMANDU, Sept 26: National Sports Council (NSC) organized a farewell program in Kathmandu on Wednesday for the national cricket team members touring for T20I series in Singapore and Oman. 

NSC member-secretary Ramesh Silwal delivered a congratulatory note on the occasion, stating the series as ‘path-breaking’ for overall Nepali cricket.

“Nepal is on the verge of regaining ICC membership after the suspension. This series can be path-breaking for Nepali cricket in so many ways,” said Silwal during the event.

“I have telephoned the ICC 37 times to make sure we head toward a positive result during the upcoming Special General Meeting (on Friday and Saturday). Not only the ICC is looking for systematic, transparent and uniform governance from the new cricket governing body in Nepal, but the performance of the national team will also be a key factor for more opportunities in imminent future.”

Similarly, Silwal believed the current team is balanced to compete at the international level despite missing several senior players. “I know there are so many new faces for the series but all of them are very talented. The respective performances from the players will be crucial for Nepal going ahead.”

Silwal mentioned that few international tournaments including a proposal for tri-nation series has been submitted at the office. He didn’t disclose the nations. 

Earlier, newcomers Kushal Malla and Ishan Pandey were included in the 15-men cricket squad announced for the upcoming T20I tours on Thursday. The left-handed duo are debutants in the squad which includes number of young players with senior players taking rest.

Left-handed all-rounder Kushal impressed in the closed camp with his big hits, making him potentially an ideal player for T20 format. He can bowl left-arm spin too. An athletic fielder Kushal had been a regular in Nepal’s age-level teams U-16 and U-19. His most recent stint was the Asia Cup. He also played for Bhairahawa Gladiators which finished runner-up in the last season of Everest Premier League (EPL).

Similarly, the left-handed top-order batsman Pandey impressed during the Prime Minister Cup held earlier in the year. He top-scored for his region, Province 3, which was skippered by national team captain Khadka himself during the last edition.

Veteran batsman Sharad Vesawkar and bowler Basant Regmi were rested whereas vice-captain Gyanendra Malla has taken leave and was unavailable for the selection due to personal reasons.

The middle-order batsman Dipendra Singh Airee was promoted deputy to captain Paras Khadka whereas Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh and Susan Bhari has made their comeback in the squad. Likewise, Pradeep Airee was dropped whereas Binod Bhandari retained his role as wicket-keeper in the squad.

Pawan Sarraf and Rohit Kumar Paudel rejoined the senior squad after completing the Asia Cup stint with the national U-19 team in Sri Lanka.

Sandeep Lamichhane, who was involved in Caribbean Premier League for Barbados Tridents, will join the squad directly in Singapore. Left-arm spin duo of Lalit Rajbanshi and Susan Bhari completes the spin quota.

Nepal is set to face Zimbabwe and Singapore in T20I tri-series to be hosted by Singapore Cricket Association (SCA) from September 27 to October 3 in Indian Association Ground in Singapore.

After Singapore, Nepal head to Oman to participate in a five-team T20I series that includes Ireland, the Netherlands and Hong Kong, along with the host team to be held in October. The T20 international series is set to start on October 5 with Nepal facing Hong Kong in its first match on October 6. All the matches will be played at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground. The team with the most wins at the end of the league round will be declared the champion.

SQUAD
Paras Khadka (Captain), Dipendra Singh Airee (Vice-Captain), Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Binod Bhandari, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, Pawan Sarraf, Sundeep Jora, Sandeep Lamichhane, Abinash Bohora, Kushal Malla, Rohit Kumar Paudel, Aarif Sheikh, Sushan Bhari, Ishan Pandey

 
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