KATHMANDU, May 15: Nepal wheelchair cricket team is set to host India in the inaugural match of the first ever Wheelchair T20 Cricket Asia Cup set to be held at Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur from Wednesday.
Bangladesh and Pakistan will play the second game of the day.
At a press meet held in Kathmandu on Tuesday, the president of Wheelchair Cricket Association of Nepal (WCAN), Chhultim G Sherpa, said it was a proud moment for Nepal to host the first ever Wheelchair Asia Cup.
India, Pakistan to vie for Wheelchair T20 Asia Cup trophy
“Nepal is an ideal place to hold this competition, and I think this event will be a grand success,” said Sherpa.
He further added that big corporate houses and banks did not recognize the importance of such tournament and treated them as ‘beggars’ whenever the association sought to raise funds.
“It is important to realize that only slogans or fake promises will not help the handicapped. In a society, it is everyone’s duty to extend support from their part.”
Representatives of International Wheelchair Cricket Association stated that the first edition of the Asia Cup was moved from India after the local authority did not allow Pakistani cricket team to play in India.
The four-team cricket tournament will be played in single league round. The top two teams will qualify for the final. The match between India and Pakistan is set to interest spectators.
Nepal’s captain Digam Chemjong expressed confidence that his team was ready to participate in the tournament after doing well in the tri-nation series held recently in the same venue. “We are looking forward to do well in the league. We want to win the trophy.”
Nepal had won the International Wheelchair T-20 Tri-series held in Kathmandu in beginning of this year. India and Bangladesh were the other two teams.
The association is also planning to host a wheelchair cricket world cup in 2020 and establish its secretariat in Nepal.
