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Kathmandu Friday June 22, 2001 Ashadh 08, 2058.
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Shah, Gurung, Lunia
shoulder Nepal's middle order
By Somesh Verma
KATHMANDU, June 21 - The middle order collapse
was one of the main contributors in Nepal’s semi-final defeat at the hands of Hong
Kong in the third ACC trophy last year. The middle order batsmen—vertebral of the
team— caved in soon after the opposition mauled the top order.
The team might come under similar situation in
Toronto, where the pitch has always been the pace bowlers’ paradise. The matches,
thus, may not be won or lost in the initial overs— rather, it will be the middle
order batsmen who have to take reins into their hands if there is any early setback. So
the onus lies with these batsmen.
Birendra Bikram Shah
Birendra Shah is one player who could be the
surprise packet for the most of Nepali fans. One of the few in the team as a specialist
batsman, he believes in going for shots right from the word go.
His aggressive batting might have done him
more harm than good till date, but the 20-year-old right hander would definitely like to
improve upon his records. Cricket fans say that it is high time that the lad matured and
showed the intent to play longer innings. As gifted as he is with good timing, he could be
a potent arsenal for the Nepali team.
After representing Lalitpur in the Jay trophy
for two years, Shah now plays for Kathmandu in the national tournament. Though hailed as a
talented willow wielder, he has only shown his flair in bits-and-pieces and is yet to
prove his consistency as a good batsman.
Rarely has he repeated his memorable century
(107runs) in the selection match for the Youth Asia Cup in 1999. And appropriately enough
he was tagged ‘one century man’.
Khush Bahadur Gurung
Khush Bahadur Gurung is yet another player who
can dictate any bowling attack on his day. Those who saw him batting against the visiting
Indian boys from Calcutta (All India Cricket Research Institute trainees) earlier in May
will never forget his swashbuckling innings.
More than the runs, it is the manner how the
25-year-old prolific scorer from Chitwan got them, instantly catching the imagination of
the audience. His 54 came off just 34 balls, leaving the Indian bowlers clueless.
That does not sum up his talent. He was
declared the best allrounder in the last year’s Jay trophy played in Rajbiraj.
Against Dhanusha, he had the match figures of six for 29 runs. He has been selected in the
team as a batsman, but the seamer can definitely be useful on the pitch which will suit
his style of bowling.
Paras Lunia
When it comes to the tweakers, Paras Lunia is
the favorite choice of most of the cricket enthusiasts of the nation. No wonder this
southpaw from Biratnagar finds his name in the squad yet again.
A spin allrounder, Lunia is not a novice in
Nepali cricket. When he played his first national tournament in Bhairahawa in 1998, he was
among the leading wicket takers. He has not strayed from his habit of being among the runs
or wicket ever since.
Playing against Malaysia in the Youth Asia Cup
in Singapore in 1999, he had a haul of four wickets in 10 runs from his 10 overs—
four of which were maidens. He also scored 41 runs against the English team in the Youth
World Cup last year. The feat — best allrounder as well as the best bowler of the
tour — he achieved during the Pakistan tour earlier this year explains his sublime
skills.
to be continued ... |
