Story Of Nepal Cricket: History| Records| Players| T20 World Cup 2024

The Indian subcontinent has a massive following of Cricket, and there is no denying the fact that, for some nations, it serves as a religion. “Cricket” has been the nucleus of the Sports in this region, played and watched by billions in the sub-continent. Nations like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have been a hub of cricket-loving fans, and this sport has found a new abode in the Mountains of the Himalayas and the land of Mount Everest, Nepal. In recent years, the land-locked nation of Nepal has shown the world its talent in Cricket, and in the last two decades, it has made a giant leap forward. Their people have recognized it and supported their team by storming in thousands at the venues of the recent T20 World Cup 2024 wherever their team plays.

Let’s dive into how Nepal has crawled its way up in the Cricket circuit, starting with its history and how this sport made its ground in Nepal.

History Of Nepal Cricket

The game of Cricket was introduced by the British when the Indian subcontinent was its colony, with Nepal being an exception as it never came under British influence or became its colony. Britishers brought “Cricket” into their colonies, and even after getting Independence, nations that remained under British influence played it post-independence as well. On the other side of the international borders, Cricket was gaining its ground; in Nepal, it remained an elite sport that was played by the then-ruling “Rana family.”

The Cricket Association of Nepal(CAN) was established in 1946, and that’s when the sport started getting the attention of the local people. In the year 1951, when Nepal was declared a democratic state, it was CAN who worked to promote the sport outside of the Capital, Kathmandu. Cricket slowly spread through the masses and got a big boost in 1988 when Nepal became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council(the supreme governing body of Cricket). In the 1990s, the sport started becoming popular in the local regions of the country due to the government’s policies to promote the sport in schools.

Soon, with the government’s and CAN’s efforts, local cricket tournaments started getting applicants in huge numbers. The collective efforts showed results when Nepal in the U-19 World Cup 2000 finished 8th in the table. Nepal Cricket team got former Sri Lankan Cricketer Roy Luke Dias as their head coach in 2001, and from there, the transformation of Nepalese cricket started. Under the tenure of Roy Dias, Nepal emerged as a formidable contender in International matches; they finished as runner-ups in the 2004 ACC trophy and qualified for U-19 World Cup editions four times in his decade-long mentorship.

It was in 2014 when Nepal got its T20I status and played in the first-ever T20 World Cup, which was held in Bangladesh. However, in 2016, the ICC revoked its status due to the unnecessary intervention of the government in Nepalese Cricket, and it got its status back after a few years. Meanwhile, they improved the cricket infrastructure and made the governing body more transparent. Now, Nepal has two International Cricket grounds—Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, and Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground in Kathmandu’s Kageshwari-Manohara.

Nepal Men’s Cricket Team In 2024

Youngster Rohit Paudel is leading Nepal’s Cricket team in the limited-overs format. He also captained Nepal’s cricket team in the latest T20 World Cup. The team has a good line-up of batters, bowlers, and all-rounders. Names like Sandeep Lamichhane are part of the men’s cricket team and have been the only players who have played franchise cricket outside Nepal. He was part of the Indian Premier League and Big Bash League. Dipendra Singh Airee is another big name in the squad representing the nation in cricket, as the all-rounder holds unique records to his name.

Some Interesting Records Of Nepal In International Cricket

Nepal has some of the most unimaginable records in the International Cricket and here are few of them:

• In 2023, Nepal became the first-ever nation to score 300+ in T20Is. Nepal scored 314 runs against Mongolia in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
• Nepal, after scoring 314 runs against Mongolia, bowled them out for 41 runs to register a victory by 273 runs, the highest run margin victory in a T20I game.
• Dipendra Singh Airee(Nepal’s all-rounder) became the fastest batsman to score a fifty in any format. He scored a fifty in a T20I in just 9 balls while batting against Mongolia.
• Mehboob Alam(Nepal’s all-rounder) has a Guinness World Record. On May 25, 2008, the all-rounder took all 10 wickets of the opposition Mozambique and became the first player to achieve that feat in limited overs format.

Nepal’s Performance In The T20 World Cup 2024

After playing a T20 World Cup a decade ago, in 2014, Nepal became part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to happen in the USA and West Indies. Nepal played extremely good cricket in the World Cup Qualifiers to get among the 20 teams selected for T20 World Cup 2024 teams. They were placed in Group D among teams like South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Their start and end of the T20 World Cup 2024 weren’t what they had hoped for, as they couldn’t win a match. However, they gave a tough fight to a world-class team like South Africa but lost the game by just 1 run, but with their performance, they have shown that they are ready to take on even world-class teams like South Africa and will only rise in the coming years to give more memorable moments to their people.

Conclusion

Cricket as a game brought Nepal together as a nation, with millions of fans supporting Nepal’s cricket team worldwide. The immense support Nepal is getting from its fans is unimaginable. With that support, the country is expected to only rise in this sport in the coming years and will make it all the way to the top if it keeps working on the positives and scrutinizes the negatives.

FAQs

Which Player Has Most Runs In T20I For Nepal?

Dipendra Singh Airee has most runs in T20I while playing for Nepal Men’s cricket team.

Which Player Of Nepal Has The Highest Score In T20I?

Kushal Malla has the highest score in T20I while batting for Nepal. He scored 137* against Mongolia in a T20I.

Who Was The Captain Of Nepal’s Team In The T20 World Cup 2024?

Rohit Paudel captained Nepal’s team in the T20 World Cup 2024.

How Many Matches Nepal Won In T20 World Cup 2024?

Nepal didn’t won a single game in the T20 World Cup 2024.

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