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Kathmandu Friday December 14, 2001 Marga 29, 2058.
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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.
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