Nepal national cricket team 1829276 223284456 2008-07-03T11:51:58Z SotonBoomer 6354637 /* The future */ Updating Nepal's WCL progress {{Infobox non test cricket team | country_name = [[Nepal]] | image_file = Flag of Nepal.svg | image_caption = Flag of Nepal | icc_member_year = [[1988]] | icc_status = Associate member | icc_region = Asia | current_captain = [[Binod Das]] | WCL_division = Five | regional_tournament = ACC Trophy | regional_tournament_division = Champions | first_match = [[6 September]] [[1996]] v [[Bangladesh national cricket team|Bangladesh]] at [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Malaysia]] | world_ranking = 34th | regional_ranking = 5th | icc_trophy_apps = 1 | icc_trophy_first = [[2001 ICC Trophy|2001]] | icc_trophy_best = First round, 2001 | fc_matches = 4 | fc_win_loss_record = 2/0 | asofdate = [[19 January]] [[2008]]}} The '''Nepal national cricket team''' is the team that represents the country of [[Nepal]] in international [[cricket]] matches. They have been an associate member of the [[International Cricket Council]] since 1996, having previously been an affiliate member since 1988.<ref name="CAP">[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Countries/93.html Nepal] at [[CricketArchive]]</ref> They have been participating in international matches since 1996, including every [[ACC Trophy]] tournament,<ref name="EWC">Encyclopedia of World Cricket by Roy Morgan, Sports Books Publishing, 2007</ref> the [[2001 ICC Trophy]]<ref name="ICCT01">[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/WORLD_CUPS/ICCT2001/ 2001 ICC Trophy] at [[Cricinfo]]</ref> and two [[ICC Intercontinental Cup]]s.<ref name="EWC" /> ==History== ===Beginnings=== Cricket was introduced to Nepal by the ruling [[Rana dynasty]] when they returned from studies in [[England]] and [[India]] in the 1920s, though the game was kept very much for themselves and the other elite. The Cricket Association of Nepal was formed in 1946 to promote cricket amongst the aristocracy.<ref name="EWC" /> When [[Tribhuvan of Nepal|King Tribhuvan]] overthrew the Rana family in 1951, cricket began to spread to the rest of the population. A team of Nepali players visited [[India]] in 1954, and in 1961 the Cricket Association of Nepal became part of the National Sports Council, to attempt to promote cricket in the whole of Nepal, though this tended to be limited to [[Kathmandu]] until the 1980s.<ref name="EWC" /> ===ICC membership=== Improvements to the communication and transport infrastructures in Nepal allowed the game to expand outside Kathmandu in the 1980s<ref name="EWC" /> and Nepal became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 1988.<ref name="CAP" /> A major development programme was begun in the early 1990s, with regional and district tournaments established and cricket being promoted in schools.<ref name="EWC" /> The interest in cricket increased quickly, and demand to play was such that teams in tournaments had to be restricted until more facilities were built in the mid 1990s.<ref name="EWC" /> Nepal became an associate member of the International Cricket Council in 1996,<ref name="CAP" /> which was the year the national side played for the first time, in the [[ACC Trophy]] in [[Kuala Lumpur]], in which Nepal finished fourth out of six teams in their first round group, beating [[Brunei national cricket team|Brunei]] and [[Japan national cricket team|Japan]].<ref name="ACC96">[http://www.cricketeurope4.net/CRICKETEUROPE/DATABASE/1996/TOURNAMENTS/ACCTROPHY/about.shtml 1996 ACC Trophy] at CricketEurope</ref> The facilities in Nepal had improved enough by 1998 to allow them to host that year's ACC Trophy at grounds in [[Lalitpur District, Nepal|Lalitpur]], [[Kirtipur]] (at [[Tribhuvan University]]) and Kathmandu.<ref>[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/NEP/1998-99_NEP_Pepsi_Asian_Cricket_Council_Trophy_1998-99.html 1998 ACC Trophy] at CricketArchive</ref> Nepal themselves were unsuccessful in the tournament, going without a win.<ref name="ACC98">[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/NEP/1998-99_NEP_Pepsi_Asian_Cricket_Council_Trophy_1998-99.html 1998 ACC Trophy Points Table] at CricketArchive</ref> ===21st century=== In 2000, Nepal's youth development policy began to pay off when the [[Nepali U-19 cricket team|Nepal Under-19 team]] finished eighth in the [[U/19 Cricket World Cup|Under-19 World Cup]].<ref>[http://www.cricketeurope4.net/CRICKETEUROPE/DATABASE/2000/TOURNAMENTS/U19WORLDCUP/about.shtml 2000 Under-19 World Cup] at CricketEurope</ref> The senior side had their best performance to date later in the year when they reached the semi-finals of the ACC Trophy before losing to [[Hong Kong cricket team|Hong Kong]] at [[Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium|Sharjah]].<ref name="ACC00">[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/101/101503.html Scorecard] of Hong Kong v Nepal, [[21 November]] [[2000]] at CricketArchive</ref> They competed in the [[ICC Trophy]] for the first and, to date, only time the following year. In the tournament in [[Ontario]], they beat [[Germany national cricket team|Germany]] and [[Gibraltar national cricket team|Gibraltar]], but a loss to eventual runners-up [[Namibia national cricket team|Namibia]] prevented them from progressing past the first round.<ref name="ICCT01" /> In 2002, Nepal were runners-up to the [[United Arab Emirates national cricket team|UAE]] in the ACC Trophy in [[Singapore]]<ref name="ACC02">[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/101/101528.html Scorecard] of Nepal v UAE, [[21 July]] [[2002]] at CricketArchive</ref> and they hosted the ACC Emerging Nations Tournament in 2003, winning easily against [[Bhutan national cricket team|Bhutan]] and the [[Maldives national cricket team|Maldives]]. They won so comprehensively that they were not invited back to the tournament the next time it was played in 2005.<ref name="EWC" /> Nepal played [[first-class cricket]] for the first time in 2004, playing in the [[ICC Intercontinental Cup]] against the UAE and [[Malaysia national cricket team|Malaysia]]. They beat Malaysia, but drew with the UAE, failing to reach the semi-final stage.<ref name="ICCup04">[http://www.cricketeurope4.net/CRICKETEUROPE/DATABASE/2004/TOURNAMENTS/INTERCONTINENTAL/about.shtml 2004 ICC Intercontinental Cup] at CricketEurope</ref> They finished third in the [[ACC Premier League|ACC Fast Track Nations Tournament]] during 2004, which qualified them for the [[2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup]],<ref name="ACCFTN04">[http://www.asiancricket.org/h_ftctpoints.cfm 2004 ACC Fast Track Nations Tournament] at the [[Asian Cricket Council]] website</ref> and finished 5th in the ACC Trophy, which qualified them for the [[2007 Cricket World Cup qualification#World Cup Qualifying Series Division 2 2005|repêchage tournament]] of the [[2005 ICC Trophy]].<ref name="ACC04">[http://www.cricketeurope4.net/ICCT2005/DATABASE/QUALIFYING/asia.shtml 2004 ACC Trophy] at official website of the 2005 ICC Trophy</ref> They finished third in this tournament after beating [[Qatar national cricket team|Qatar]] in a play-off, meaning that they did not qualify for the 2005 ICC Trophy in [[Ireland]].<ref name="ICCT05">[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/102/102372.html Scorecard] of Nepal v Qatar, [[27 February]] [[2005]] at CricketArchive</ref> They beat the UAE and drew with Hong Kong in the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup, but missed out on qualification for the semi-finals by half a point.<ref name="ICCup05">[http://www.cricketeurope4.net/CRICKETEUROPE/DATABASE/2005/TOURNAMENTS/INTERCONTINENTAL/about.shtml 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup] at CricketEurope</ref> They were runners-up to the UAE in the 2005 ACC Fast Track Nations Tournament.<ref name="ACCFTNT05">[http://www.asiancricket.org/h_ftctpoints0506.cfm 2005 ACC Fast Track Nations Tournament points table] at official ACC website</ref> In March 2006, Nepal played Namibia in [[Windhoek]] in a play-off match to decide the final team in the [[2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup]]. Needing to win outright to qualify for the main tournament, the match was drawn after there was no play on the first day.<ref name="ICCup06">[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/86/86449.html Scorecard] of Namibia v Nepal, [[23 March]] [[2006]] at CricketArchive</ref> Later in the year, they toured Pakistan, playing against the Pakistan Cricket Academy<ref>[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/PAK/2006-07_PAK_Nepal_in_Pakistan_2006-07.html Nepal in Pakistan 2006/07] at CricketArchive</ref> before playing in the ACC Trophy in Kuala Lumpur. They finished fourth in the tournament after losing to [[Afghanistan national cricket team|Afghanistan]] in a play-off.<ref name="ACC06">[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/101/101598.html Scorecard] of Afghanistan v Nepal, [[25 August]] [[2006]] at CricketArchive</ref> They won the first [[ACC Premier League]] in 2006.<ref name="ACCPL06">[http://www.asiancricket.org/h_pl_points06.cfm 2006 ACC Premier League points table] at ACC official website</ref> They most recently played in the [[ACC Twenty20 Cup]] in Kuwait, where they finished fourth in their first round group.<ref name="ACCT2007">[http://www.cricketeurope4.net/CRICKETEUROPE/DATABASE/2007/TOURNAMENTS/ASIA2020/about.shtml 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup] at CricketEurope</ref> ===Tournament History=== ====Intercontinental Cup==== *[[2004 ICC Intercontinental Cup|2004]]: First round<ref name="ICCup04" /> *[[2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup|2005]]: First round<ref name="ICCup05" /> *[[2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup|2006/07]]: Did not qualify<ref name="ICCup06" /> *[[2007-08 ICC Intercontinental Cup|2007/08]]: Did not participate<ref>[http://www.cricketeurope4.net/CRICKETEUROPE/DATABASE/2007/TOURNAMENTS/INTERCONTINENTAL/about.shtml 2007/08 ICC Intercontinental Cup] at CricketEurope</ref> ====ICC Trophy==== *1979 to 1986 inclusive: Not eligible - Not an ICC member<ref name="CAP" /> *[[1990 ICC Trophy|1990]]: Not eligible - ICC affiliate member<ref name="CAP" /> *[[1994 ICC Trophy|1994]]: Not eligible - ICC affiliate member<ref name="CAP" /> *[[1997 ICC Trophy|1997]]: Did not participate<ref>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/WORLD_CUPS/ICCT97/ 1997 ICC Trophy] at Cricinfo</ref> *[[2001 ICC Trophy|2001]]: First round<ref name="ICCT01" /> *[[2005 ICC Trophy|2005]]: Did not qualify<ref name="ICCT05" /> ====ACC Premier League==== *2004: 3rd place<ref name="ACCFTN04" /> *2005: Runners up<ref name="ACCFTNT05" /> *2006: Winner<ref name="ACCPL06" /> ====ACC Trophy==== *1996: First round<ref name="ACC96" /> *1998: First round<ref name="ACC98" /> *2000: Semi Finals<ref name="ACC00" /> *2002: Runners up<ref name="ACC02" /> *2004: 5th place<ref name="ACC04" /> *2006: 4th place<ref name="ACC06" /> ==Records== ===Overall=== *Highest team score: 397/8 against Bhutan, Kathmandu, 2003<ref name="EWC" /> *Highest individual score: 108 by [[Mahaboob Alam]] against Malaysia, Kathmandu, 2005<ref name="EWC" /> *Best innings bowling: 10/12 by Mahaboob Alam against Mozambique, Jersey, 2008,Record best at asscciate/affiliate level,only 3rd time in world cricket <ref name="EWC" /> ===ICC Trophy=== *Highest team score: 175/9 against Germany, [[Maple Leaf Cricket Club]], [[King City, Ontario]], [[Canada]], 2001<ref>[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Records/Nepal/Icct/Highest_Team_Totals_Nepal.html Nepal Totals of 150 and More in an Innings in the ICC Trophy] at CricketArchive</ref> *Highest individual score: 52 by [[Dipendra Chaudhary]] against Germany, Maple Leaf Cricket Club, King City, Ontario, Canada, 2001<ref>[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Records/Nepal/Icct/Highest_Player_Scores_Nepal.html Individual Scores of 50 and More in an Innings for Nepal in the ICC Trophy] at CricketArchive</ref> *Best innings bowling: 4/23 by Parash Luniya against Germany, Maple Leaf Cricket Club, King City, Ontario, Canada, 2001<ref>[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Records/Nepal/Icct/Best_Innings_Bowling_Nepal.html Four or More Wickets in an Innings for Nepal in the ICC Trophy] at CricketArchive</ref> ==Players== Nepal's squad at the 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup was as follows:<ref>[http://www.asiancricket.org/cnt_07_2020_nepal.cfm Nepal squad for the 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup] at official ACC website</ref> *[[Binod Das]] ([[Captain (cricket)|captain]]) *[[Paras Khadka]] *[[Paresh Lohani]] *Gyanendra Malla *[[Mahaboob Alam]] *Basant Regmi *Aamir Akhtar *Deepesh Khatri *[[Sharad Vesawkar]] *[[Shakti Gauchan]] *Rahul Vishwokarma *[[Dipendra Chaudhary]] *Aakash Gupta *Mahesh Chhetri ==The future== In May 2008, Nepal travelled to [[Jersey]] to play in [[2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Five|Division Five]] of the [[World Cricket League]]. Although Nepal topped Group A after the group qualifying matches, they lost their semi-final to [[Afghanistan national cricket team|Afghanistan]] and finished third overall after defeating the [[United States national cricket team|USA]] in a playoff. With only the top two from this tournament qualifying for [[2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Four|Division Four]] in [[Tanzania]] later in the year, Nepal missed out on the chance to take their 2011 World Cup dream any further.<ref>[http://www.cricketeurope2.net/docs/ECC/NEWSLETTER/issue84.pdf ECC newsletter January 2008]</ref><ref name="AsiaWC">[http://www.asiancricket.org/h_wc2011.cfm Asia's way to the 2011 World Cup]</ref> They will also play in the ACC Trophy at some point in the year.<ref name="ACC06" /> Their top eight finish in the 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup will mean that they will play in the 2009 ACC Twenty20 Cup, which will serve as a qualifier for the cricket tournament at the [[2010 Asian Games]].<ref>[http://www.asiancricket.org/cnt_07_2020_msgce.cfm Message form the Chief Executive of the Asian Cricket Council]</ref> ==2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Five== ===Squad=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan="4" | Nepal |- ! Name ! Born ! Batting Style ! Bowling Style |- | [[Binod Das|Binod Kumar Das]] ([[Captain (cricket)|c]]) ||{{flagicon|Nepal}}Nepal || [[Batsman|Left/Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast bowling|???]] |- | [[Paras Khadka]] || {{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal || [[Batsman|Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast/Spin bowling|Right-Arm Medium-Fast]] |- | [[Paresh Prasad Lohani]]||{{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal || [[Batsman|Left/Right Handed Batsmen]]|| [[Fast/Spin bowling|???]] |- | [[Shakti Prasad Gauchan]] ||{{flagicon|Nepal}}Nepal || [[Batsman|Left/Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast/Spin bowling|???]] |- | [[Mahaboob Alam]] || {{flagicon|Nepal}} Rajbiraj, Nepal|| [[Batsman|Left Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast bowling|Left-Arm Medium-Pace]] |- | [[Sanjam Regmi]] || {{flagicon|Nepal}} Kalaiya, Nepal || [[Batsman|Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Spin bowling|Right-Arm Off-Spin]] |- | [[Sharad Vesawkar]] || {{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal|| [[Batsman|Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast bowling|Right-Arm Medium-Pace]] |- | [[Dipendra Chaudhary]] || {{flagicon|Nepal}} Banauli-Saptari, Nepal || [[Batsman|Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast bowling|Right-Arm Medium-Pace]] |- | [[Gyanendra Malla]] || {{flagicon|Nepal}} Kathmandu, Nepal || [[Batsman|Left/Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast/Spin bowling|???]] |- | [[Mahesh Kumar Chhetri]] ||{{flagicon|Nepal}}Nepal || [[Batsman|Left/Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast/Spin bowling|???]] |- | [[Raj Kumar Pradhan]] ||{{flagicon|Nepal}}Nepal || [[Batsman|Left/Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast/Spin bowling|???]] |- | [[Amrit Bhattarai]] || {{flagicon|Nepal}} Kathmandu, Nepal || [[Batsman|Left/Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast/Spin bowling|???]] |- | [[Basant Regmi]] ||{{flagicon|Nepal}}Nepal || [[Batsman|Left/Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast/Spin bowling|???]] |- | [[Dhirendra Bahadur]] ||{{flagicon|Nepal}}Nepal || [[Batsman|Left/Right Handed Batsmen]] || [[Fast/Spin bowling|???]] |- |[[Tanka Prasad Paneru]] ||{{flagicon|Nepal}}Nepal|| Manager |- | [[Roy Dias]] || {{flagicon|Sri Lanka}}Sri lanka|| Coach|| |} ==See also== *[[List of Nepalese first-class cricketers]] *[[Nepal national women's cricket team]] ==References== {{reflist|2}} {{2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Five}} {{National cricket teams}} [[Category:Cricket in Nepal]] [[Category:National cricket teams]] [[Category:National sports teams of Nepal|Cricket]] [[Category:Nepal in international cricket]] [[mr:नेपाळ क्रिकेट]]