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Commanding Display
Nepalese cricketers re-affirm their command among the Asian non-test playing nations by defending their title in the Under 19 Asian Cup
By THAKUR AMGAI
The victory of the Nepalese team in the Under 19, Asian Cricket Council tournament and the subsequent qualification in the participation in the U- 19 world cup has boosted the morale of the Nepalese sportsmen.
While there is not much that Nepalese can expect from their sportsmen, Nepalese have some expectations from their cricketers. After defeating the traditional rival Malaysia with seven wickets in the finals of the ACC cup, Nepal has secured a position at the U- 19 Cricket world cup to be held next year in Sri Lanka.
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Nepalese cricket team : Well-deserved jubilation |
The Nepalese team, with the advantage of playing in the home ground with huge fanfare, had fared well since beginning. After winning the toss, the Nepalese team had chosen to defend the field. The efficient fielding of the Nepalese team had forced the Malaysian team to pack up in a mere 25 overs with just 83 runs.
The Nepalese team was confident to win the match with a low target of 84. Although, the Nepalese team won the finals it had been slow show during the batting.
After getting through the tough match against Kuwait in the semi-finals the Nepalese team had heaved a sigh of relief and garnered enough confidence for the finals. “We were confident that we would win this match,” said Kanishka Chaugain, captain of Nepalese team, after the match. Nepal had already defeated the Malaysian team-considered weaker than the Kuwaiti team- thrice in the finals in the previous tournaments.
However, the expectation from the Nepalese cricket lovers does not end here this time. There are expectations that it will fare better than the previous times in the U –19 world cup in Sri Lanka next year. Having the team better prepared under the aegis of the Sri Lankan coach Roy Dias, Chaugain expressed confidence that the performance of the Nepalese team in the forthcoming world cup would be better.
Nepal has won the finals of the ACC cup thrice in the past and has already participated in the U-19 world cup thrice. Earlier it had won Malaysia in the ACC cup held in 2001 and 2003. Likewise, it participated in the U-19 world cups in 2000 in Pakistan, 2002 in New Zealand, and 2004 in Bangladesh.
Nepal Qualifies For AFC Cup
By defeating strong Central Asian teams, Nepalese Under 17 football team has qualified for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.
In a surprise display of fighting spirit, Nepal downed Kyrgyzstan 2-1 in a toughly contested match. That was followed by a thumping defeat of Uzbekistan 2-0, which secured Nepal a place in the AFC Cup.
The win has come as a breath of fresh air to Nepalese football lovers, who had not tasted such win in international tournament in recent times. This time the home advantage could have helped Nepalese footballers to play well. It will be their real test in the coming AFC Cup.
Meanwhile, ANFA has been nominated in the AFC Association of the Year category at the AFC Awards Gala 2005. ANFA will compete with Japanese Football Association and Qatar Football Association for the award at AFC Awards Gala 2005, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia later this month.
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