This article needs to be updated.(December 2020) |
Cricket in Nepal | |
---|---|
Country | Nepal |
Governing body | Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) |
National team(s) | Men Women U-19 |
First played | 1920 |
Registered players | 50000 |
Clubs | 4500 |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
Cricket in Nepal has gained popularity over the years and has become the country's one of the most popular and widely followed sport. It rapidly grew popularity in the mid 2010s, following the slight successes of the Nepalese cricket team as well as the country's explosive rise in social media and television viewing influence from neighboring country India. It is played by many people throughout the country, especially in the Terai region. The biggest cricketing achievement of the national cricket team was when the team reached the qualification tournament of 2014 ICC World T20 held in Bangladesh. Nepal's playing season runs from September to November and starts again in March before finishing in May. As of October 2023, there were 3400 senior cricket clubs and over 35000 registered players in Nepal. [1]
In 1920s Cricket was introduced to Nepal for the first time by Lt.-Gen.Madan Shumsher JBR youngest son of Rana Prime Minister Maharaja Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana. But at the time, cricket was considered a "gentleman's game" so was limited to the ruling Rana family members and some elites of Nepal. Though the game was kept within themselves and other members of the elite, the Cricket Association of Nepal was formed in 1946 to promote cricket amongst the aristocracy. [2]
After the introduction of democracy through the Revolution of 1951, cricket began to spread to the rest of the population. In 1961, in an effort to promote cricket to the whole of Nepal, the Cricket Association of Nepal became part of the National Sports Council. Nevertheless, the National games tended to be limited to Kathmandu until the 1980s. [2]
Improvements to the communication and transport infrastructure in Nepal allowed the game to expand outside Kathmandu in the 1980s, [2] and Nepal became an Affiliate Member of the ICC in 1988. [3] A major development programme began in the early 1990s, with regional and district tournaments established and cricket being promoted in the schools. [2] Nepal became an Associate Member of the ACC in 1990 and became a full member in 1994.
Interest in cricket increased quickly in the 1990s, and demand to play was such that the number of teams in tournaments had to be restricted until more facilities could be built.
Nepal became an Associate Member of the ICC in 1996, [3] which was the year the national side played for the first time, in the ACC Trophy in Kuala Lumpur. Nepal finished fourth out of six teams in their first round group in this competition, beating Brunei and Japan. [4] The achievement of this era was the historic win against Bangladesh in the 1999 ACC Trophy.
Nepal secured a 2002 Asia cup place but due to India Pakistan tension Asia cup didn't happen. During the 2004-2008 era Nepal U19 is at the peak. They beat New Zealand in the U19 World Cup. One of the significant turning points came in 2008 when they secured the ICC World Cricket League Division Five title.
Nepal played their first T20I World Cup in Bangladesh 2014 where they defeated Hong Kong and Afghanistan. Since then, Nepali cricket's fan following has been increasing day by day.
At 2016 U19 World Cup Nepal performed outstanding and reached quarter final. In 2018 Nepal secured a ODI status for the next 5 years after the win against PNG in ICC ODI World Cup Qualifier at Zimbabwe.
The Cricket Association of Nepal is the official governing body of the sport of cricket in Nepal. It was formed in 1946.
There are 65 grounds in Nepal with 17 turf wickets, [1] but international matches can be played only at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur and Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground on the outskirts of Kathmandu. The Pokhara Cricket Ground is the only other ground to host international cricket having hosted the women's tournament at the 2019 South Asian Games.
The Nepal National Cricket Team represents Nepal in international cricket matches.
Nepal have been participating in international cricket since 1996 when they competed in the 1996 ACC Trophy. They have competed in numerous tournaments over the years including the ICC Trophy (later the ICC World Cup Qualifier), the ICC Intercontinental Cup. The team gained T20 International status for the first time in 2013 after qualifying for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 which was their first and only appearance at a major ICC event. The team also gained One Day International status in 2018 after finishing 8th in the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. [5]
The Nepalese team took part in their first one-day international on 1 August 2018 against the Netherlands national team at the VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen and registered its first win two days later against them at the same ground. [6] [7] Nepal hosted its first one-day international against the United States national team at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on 8 February 2020. [8] Nepal is currently competing in the 2019–22 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 which is their first one-day international tournament. [9]
Nepal faced Hong Kong in their first Twenty20 international game on 16 March 2014 at the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 which was their first and only appearance at a major ICC event. [10] Nepal won two of their three matches in the tournament with wins against Hong Kong and Afghanistan and a loss against Bangladesh (their first international match against a full member) as they failed to make it past the first round on net run rate. [11] [12] [13] Nepal holds permanent T20I since 1 January 2019 after a decision by the International Cricket Council to T20I status to all member nations. [14]
The Nepal national women's cricket team represents Nepal in international women's cricket matches. They made their international debut in the ACC Women's Tournament in Malaysia in July 2007. The women's team has competed in two Women's Asia Cup and regularly competes in Asian Cricket Council events. The women's team hold T20I status since 1 July 2018 after a decision by the International Cricket Council to give T20I status to all member nations. [14]
The seven provinces each have their own team that compete during the domestic cricket season along with three departmental teams. The current domestic teams are:
The ten teams compete in the Prime Minister One Day Cup and eight teams, the seven provincial teams and Armed Police Force Club, participate in the Prime Minister Cup Women's National Tournament.
Moreover, six franchises each compete in the Dhangadhi Premier League, Everest Premier League and Pokhara Premier League.
The SAAF School Cricket Series is an annual high school cricket championship run since 2014 by the Student Athletic Activities Foundation (SAAF).
The Nepal men's national cricket team represents the country of Nepal in International cricket and is governed by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). They have been Associate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1996. Nepal were awarded Twenty20 International (T20I) status by the ICC in June 2014 until the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and earned One Day International (ODI) status in 2018.
The Hong Kong men's national cricket team is the team that represents Hong Kong in international competitions. It played its first match in 1866 and has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1969.
The United Arab Emirates men's national cricket team is the team that represents the United Arab Emirates in international cricket. They are governed by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) which became an Affiliate Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1989 and an Associate Member the following year. Since 2005, the ICC's headquarters have been located in Dubai.
The Afghanistan men's national cricket team represents Afghanistan in international cricket. Cricket has been played in Afghanistan since the mid-19th century, but it was only in the early 21st century that the national team began to enjoy success. The Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995, becoming an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001 and a member of the cricket confederation, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2003. After nearly a decade of playing international cricket, on 22 June 2017 full ICC membership was granted to Afghanistan. Alongside Ireland, this took the number of Test cricket playing nations to twelve. Afghanistan is the first country to achieve Full Member status after holding Affiliate Membership of the ICC. In view of the persistent conflict and insecurity in Afghanistan, following this status, the team moved to a new home ground in Dehradun, in India. The current home ground of the Afghanistan Men's Cricket team is the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.
The Oman men's national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Oman in international matches and is governed by Oman Cricket, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2000, and gained associate status in 2014. The national side has played matches at the Twenty20 International level. On 24 April 2019, Oman achieved One-Day International status for the first time until 2023, after they beat tournament hosts Namibia by four wickets in 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two.
The Papua New Guinea men's national cricket team, nicknamed the Barramundis, is the team that represents the country of Papua New Guinea in international cricket. The team is organised by Cricket PNG, which has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1973. Papua New Guinea previously had One-Day International (ODI) status, which it gained by finishing fourth in 2014 World Cup Qualifier. Papua New Guinea lost both their ODI and T20I status in March 2018 after losing a playoff match against Nepal during the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, a result that earned ODI and T20I status for their opponents. On 26 April 2019, Papua New Guinea defeated Oman to secure a top-four finish in the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two and reclaim their ODI status.
The Malaysia national cricket team represents the country of Malaysia in international cricket matches. The team is organised by the Malaysian Cricket Association which has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1967.
The Singapore national cricket team is the team that represents Singapore in international cricket. Singapore has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1974, and was a founding member of the Asian Cricket Council formed in 1983.
The Bhutan men's national cricket team, nicknamed The Dragons, represents the Kingdom of Bhutan in international cricket. The team is organised by the Bhutan Cricket Council Board, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001 and an associate member in 2017. Bhutan made its international debut in 2003, at the Emerging Nations Tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The team has since regularly participated in ACC tournaments, and also in the World Cricket League event WCL Division Eight in 2010 and 2012.
The Qatar national cricket team is the team that represents Qatar in international cricket. The team is organised by the Qatar Cricket Association, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1999 and an associate member in 2017.
Paras Khadka is a Nepalese former cricketer who is the current Secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal and President of Bagmati Province Cricket Association. He captained the Nepalese cricket team from 2008 to 2019. An all-rounder, Khadka was a right-handed batsman, and a right-arm medium-fast as well as an off-break bowler. He made his debut against Malaysia in April 2004. Khadka played in Nepal's inaugural One Day International (ODI) match, against the Netherlands, in August 2018. He is often considered as the greatest cricketers of Nepal.
Basanta Regmi is a Nepalese professional cricketer. An all-rounder, he bats left-handed and is a left-arm orthodox spinner. He made his debut for Nepal against Namibia in March 2006. He was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Nepal's first ever One Day International (ODI) match, against the Netherlands, in August 2018.
The Thailand women's national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Thailand in international women's cricket matches. Thailand is one of the strongest associate teams in women's international cricket and has been ranked as high as tenth in the ICC Women's T20I rankings.
Shakti Prasad Gauchan is a Nepalese former professional cricketer. An all-rounder, Shakti is a right-handed batsman and a left-arm orthodox spinner. He made his debut for Nepal against Oman in July 2002. In July 2018, he announced that he would retire from international cricket after the conclusion of Netherlands tour. In August 2018, he retired after playing the first ODI of the tour. In December 2018, he retired from all forms of cricket.
Cricket is the most popular dry season sport in Bangladesh. It is played nationwide through the months of November to May. Governance of the sport is the responsibility of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which was established in 1972.
Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, commonly known as TU Cricket Ground or simply TU Ground, is a cricket ground in Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Sports in Nepal comprise both traditional Nepalese and modern international games. The most popular sports in Nepal is football & cricket followed by volleyball. Volleyball was also declared as national sport of Nepal, on 23 May 2017. Before 2017, traditional games like dandi biyo & kabbadi was considered as the de facto national games.
Dipendra Singh Airee is a Nepalese cricketer. In August 2018, he was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Nepal's first-ever One Day International (ODI) match, against the Netherlands. He is regarded as one of the best all rounders in Nepal. During the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Airee made an unbeaten record fastest fifty in T20I cricket by scoring 50* off just 9 balls against Mongolia. He became the only third player in the history of T20I to hit six consecutive sixes in an over against Qatar in the ACC Premier Cup. He is also dubbed as “The Tiger” for his aggressive batting skills.
The 2018–19 international cricket season was from September 2018 to April 2019. 34 Test matches, 92 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 74 Twenty20 International (T20Is), as well as 28 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) and 130 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), were played during this period. The season started with India leading the Test cricket rankings, England leading the ODI rankings and Pakistan leading the Twenty20 rankings. In October 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced separate rankings for women's ODIs and T20Is for the first time, with Australia women leading both tables.
Rohit Kumar Paudel is a Nepalese cricketer and the current captain of the Nepal national cricket team. He made his List A debut for Nepal in the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament on 8 February 2018. He was inspired to play cricket after Nepal played in the ICC T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. In January 2019, Kumar became the youngest male cricketer to score an international half-century. The record was broken in February 2020, by his team-mate Kushal Malla. He is the all-time highest run scorer for Nepal in the ODI format and the first Nepalese player to score 1,000 runs in ODI cricket. He was named captain of the Nepal cricket team in November 2022.