Nepal bank on new methods to boost performance in WC

By Somesh Verma

KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - The resounding success of Nepali Colts in the Youth Asia Cup has put them through to the World Cup. The team well and truly lived upto the expectations of cricket fans. Now the fans wonder: How will they fare playing away from home and in different conditions?

Explanations of the cricket experts, who are at the helm of the Under-19 squad’s closed camp training, might sound pleasant to their ears. Although sticking to a low profile, they say the young lads given their preparation of late - are quite capable of coming up with a surprise or two.

Rumesh Ratnayake, an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Development Officer, is all praise for the boys.

"I was actually shocked to see the enhancement in their game," says Ratnayake, who is looking over the bowlers to sharpen their skills.

And the former Sri Lankan Test bowler does not hesitate to put his money on Nepal. "I wouldn’t be surprised if Nepal beat England," he says.

Nepal has been pooled along with England, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea in Group ‘C’ in the upcoming Youth World Cup starting from January 14.

Roy Dias, the Sri Lankan coach who guided the young Nepali team to the unprecedented success in the Youth Asia Cup, looks content with the progress his team has made under his tutelage.

"The preparation so far has been good, the boys have shown a lot of improvement over the period," says Dias, adding: "With Rumesh Ratnayake they’re learning the correct way of fast bowling."

However, he concedes that the team’s batting still remains a cause for concern.

We’ve a good combination in our bowling but we’ve got to concentrate more on our batting."

Considering most of the pitches in New Zealand that would suit seam bowling, the coach
says, the players are being trained in the morning. The visiting experts claim cold and dampness in the morning, resemble the conditions somewhat similar to that the t
eam would find during the tournament.

And such training methods have been received very well by the team.

"The training that we undergo these days are different from the previous ones," says Binod Das, the team captain, who was a member of the senior national side to the UAE and Canada earlier. "Fitness drills and the training process are much more systematic."

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), unlike in the past, has taken a wiser move embracing a modern training methods, which broaden the field of training over and above batting and bowling.

Dr Vece Paes, Consultant Fitness expert to the ACC, has been looking after the squad’s fitness schedule.

The players are put to work on two aspects of physical fitness - speed endurance and strength, Dr Paes says. "Since speed is important in the game of short sprints like cricket, we are concentrating on it.

"Within a short time, I have seen that the speed of the boys has improved to an extent and agility has improved remarkably."

"They are keen about learning new things, their amazing enthusiasm has helped a lot in their preparation," says Dr Paes. He rates the Nepali Under-19 team’s fitness level similar to that of players in India.

Dias, however, feels that it may be too early to predict about Nepal’s performances in New Zealand. He says that the acid test of the Nepali Colts would be tour to India.

"We will be able to see how much the training has helped them when they play against the Indian teams in the tour," he says.

Nepali Youth team is scheduled to play four matches against the Indian college and club teams in Indore starting December 16.

Ward 14 enter semis

KATHMANDU, Dec 13 (PR) – An impressive six-wicket haul by Raj Shrestha assisted Ward no 14 to register an 80-run victory over Ward no 11 to enter semifinals of the 2nd Inter-ward Birendra Memorial Cricket tournament being played at the Tundikhel ground on Thursday.

Ward no 14 won the toss and elected to bat first. Despite losing a couple of early wickets, ward no 14 middle order batsmen Purushottam Bista (30) and Dhiraj Gyawali (34) guided their team to reach a respectable score of 178 runs in allotted 35 overs. Bista belted six boundaries in his run-a-ball knock. Diwas Bajracharya was the pick of the bowlers claiming four wickets in his seven overs spell.

Chasing a modest target, ward no 11 opened their innings promisingly as key batsman Munik Shrestha made 31 runs in as many balls. During his fiery knock, Shrestha smashed four boundaries. Adesh Prajapati, providing a good support to Shrestha, topscored with 33 runs. But the departure of Shrestha and Prajapati brought panic in ward no 11 bating as Raj Shrestha wrapped up tail-enders with an impressive six- wicket haul. Shrestha conceded just 3 runs in his 4.5 overs spell. Besides Shrestha, Bibhusan Pant also claimed three wickets.

Later, Shrestha was declared man of the match. Ward no 1 will take on ward no 20 on Friday.