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Chance to show Nepal to the world

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Dhaka:  The Nepali cricket team arrived here on Monday for the ICC World Twenty20 and skipper Paras Khadka believes that it would be a wonderful opportunity for his side to showcase their talent to the world.

The Nepali team is one of the low profile side to compete in the World Cup that kicks off here from March 16 and Khadka is adamant to change the “underdogs” perception of Nepali cricket with some cracking performances during the mega event.

“We are here to show to the world that Nepal is also a cricketing nation,” Khadka told in a press conference. “We have a huge fan following back home that almost equals to the popularity of any Test playing nation. It is now a matter of showing it to the world with our performance on the field,” added the Nepal skipper.

He also believes that Nepal’s participation in the World Cup wasn’t just a fluke. “Us qualifying for the World Cup was a surprise to many as the senior team had not been able to do fare in the past. But it was the result of our the hard work we have put in for the last 12 years,” added the skipper, who showed no sign fatigue despite having landed at the Dhaka International Airport only hours earlier. 

Nepal arrived here from Dubai, where they were preparing for the first ever World Cup. Nepal played two warm-up matches against The Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates in Dubai. Khadka said their participation in the World Cup had forced a great deal of attention from both the government and the International Cricket Council.

“However, it is the performance that matters at the end of the day and we are ready to prove our worth in the biggest cricketing stage,” said Khadka. “If we focus too much on the World Cup, we will only get overwhelmed. So we will take one match at a time. We know if we play to our potential we will be able to achieve great heights,” added the confident skipper. “An associate nation like us Afghanistan have performed really well in Asia Cup and so if we perform to our potential we can also fare well.”

Nepal will play two official warm-up matches before opening their campaign with a match against Hong Kong on March 16. The first practice match against Ireland is slated for March 12 followed by the one against the UAE on March 14.

Nepali team, not a household name

Very few people here are aware that even Nepal are competing in the ICC World Twenty20 that kicks off on March 16.

For those who follow sports here Nepal is better known for the football and martial arts skills, and when told the nation is also here for the cricketing showpiece, they frowned saying: “Nepal playing in the World Cup?” Not even the Bangladesh cricket team members are aware of the fact.

“I do not know anything about Nepal national team,” said Bangladeshi allrounder Shakib Al Hasan. Three Bangladesh players talked to the media on Monday and none had any idea of Nepali cricket. All three Bangladeshi cricketers, however, said that they had only heard Nepal’s success in the age-group tournaments.

“Until a week earlier we were busy with Asia Cup, so we haven’t had time to find out on the Nepali cricket team,” said Hasan. “However, I have heard that their (Nepal) U-19 team had done well in the past.” According to the local media, Bangladesh are under pressure as they have not own a single match this calendar year.

Nasir Hossain, another Bangladeshi all rounder, revealed that his team is yet to study video footage of Nepali team. He also added he had played a practice match with Nepal U-19 team in 2008 and found them very good.

 Abudr Razzak, the Bangladeshi left-arm spinner, had a few tips for the team. “The strength of most of the teams in the sub-continent is spin bowling. Nepal will do well and trouble other teams if they fare well against the spinners and that their own spinner bowl well.”

source:the kathmandu post,11 march 2014