Asia Cup 2023 Cricket Editorial Top Stories

How the Nepal T20 Helped Asia Cup Dream Become Reality

May 2, 2023
<a href="https://revsportz.in/author/subhayan/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url"><img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2bbfbfc5b5843cb05bb2cb3173bf9c79?s=32&d=mm&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2bbfbfc5b5843cb05bb2cb3173bf9c79?s=64&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-32 photo' height='32' width='32' decoding='async'/> <span class="" itemprop="name">SUBHAYAN CHAKRABORTY</span></a>

May 2, 2023 will be always have a special place in the history of Asian cricket, after Nepal beat the UAE, who have participated in two 50-over World Cups, to clinch Asia Cup qualification for the first time. In the tournament proper, the venue for which has yet to be decided, Nepal will be pitted against India and Pakistan in the group stage. An accomplished 67 from Gulshan Jha, just 17, was central to Nepal’s seven-wicket win in the ACC Premier Cup, completed on the reserve day after rain had prevented a result on May 1.

While the passion and talent of the players, a skillful coach in Monty Desai and other factors paved the way for Nepal’s success, the newly-formed Nepal T20 played a major role in creating a solid structure to provide the necessary exposure in the cricket-mad country.

The inaugural edition of the tournament ended in January, 2023, and it gave enough confidence to the players to punch above their weight and script a fairy tale in the Premier Cup. “It is a historic day and we are glad to have played a role to give the Nepalese players the exposure and confidence they needed to play top-level cricket,” Jatin Ahluwalia, the founder and Managing Director of Seven3Sports, the commercial and strategic partner of the Nepal T20 League, told RevSportz.  “The aim was to help Nepal players gain valuable experience and that happened when players from different countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and England came and participated in Nepal T20.

Nepal Progress a Triumph of Self-Belief, and Planning Ahead

“Noor Ahmad, who is currently with Gujarat Titans in the IPL, got exposure here. I remember, when Sikandar Raza announced that he would be playing the tournament, the entire word turned their eyes towards us. Although he did extremely well with Zimbabwe, his performance in the Nepal T20 was crucial to him bagging a contract in the IPL auctions, which took place a couple of weeks after he arrived here.” 


 

Nepal needed just 30.3 overs to chase down a modest target of 118 to lift the Premier Cup. Bhim Sharki gave Jha excellent support to ensure that there were few alarms on the way. “Before Nepal T20 League, the local players, coaches, umpires and other officials were lacking the experience at the top level,” said Abhishek Saklani, the Seven3Sports co-founder and CEO. “They didn’t know how to tackle different conditions or deal with a hectic schedule. The tournament gave them the opportunity to learn.

“What we did was assemble some of the popular players and international coaches from major cricketing nations. It not only taught them what is to be done to go a notch higher on the field but how to embrace different cultures off the field as well. After the tournament, Nepal went on a superb run in international cricket, losing just one out of the 12 games they played. Nepal have defeated the UAE, a higher-ranked team, consistently since the Nepal T20 League. It wasn’t the same before the tournament. You can check the records. I firmly believe it is the experience from the league that came into play.”

When the play halted due to rain on Monday, the passionate fans who had flocked to the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur had their umbrellas up in a hope that the rain gods will allow them to witness history. Instead, they had to wait for a glimpse of history.

“Nepal fans had witnessed very few heroes in the past,” said Ahluwalia. “Initially, in the [Nepal T20] tournament, the fans used to come to watch the international stars play. As soon as the local players started to become the highlights of the match, the interest of the crowd grew. They found local heroes. The fans in Nepal are extremely passionate about cricket, but as soon the team started winning matches regularly, the anticipation grew. It is just the tip of the iceberg.”


 

The Nepal T20 was played with six teams from different parts of the country. “The Nepal T20 was immense for the local players and coaches alike,” said Subodh Tripathee, owner of Pokhara team. “The opportunity to share the dressing room with international stars was something that was very valuable for everyone. I noticed a stark difference in the body language and confidence of the players after the tournament ended. That sort of exposure and confidence is what Nepal cricket needed to lift themselves to a level above.

“People are praising the passion of Nepal fans from all over the world. The atmosphere not only in the final, but throughout the tournament, was epic. Fans have faced many hardships like travel logistics and parking issues, but never did they leave their teams alone. There were many who hung outside the stadium just to back the players in the final match. This achievement goes to all the fans. It is historic. This marks the turning point in Nepal cricket.”

Coach-player rapport foundation stone for Nepal’s epoch-making moment

Now, with so much uncertainty over the Asia Cup 2023, Nepal fans will hope that the Asian Cricket Council and Pakistan Cricket Board can come to a mutual agreement over the hosting of the tournament, which is scheduled to be played in September. It’s not everyday that Nepal gets to face India and Pakistan in a tournament. Also, as the fans continue to celebrate the success of the national side, it’s important to acknowledge the sacrifices of former players and tournament organisers, who paved the way for what promises to be a golden period in Nepal cricket.

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