The dispute surrounding Cricket Association Nepal (CAN) is likely to be resolved as the date for cricket governing body's election has been finalised for September 27 and 28.

A meeting between National Sports Council (NSC) and representatives of International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday have agreed on the final date of the election, informed the NSC Member Secretary Ramesh Kumar Silwal on Monday.

ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja and ICC representative Ammar Shaikh arrived here on Sunday to find a way out to lift the CAN suspension. ICC had suspended CAN membership on April 2016 due to the internal wrangling. "After a meeting, we have reached an agreement to hold the elective general assembly of CAN on September 27 and 28. We reached an agreement to hold the election in an independent and fair manner," Silwal said.

"The ICC board meeting is set for October 12-13 and I have requested the world cricket governing body representatives to lift CAN suspension during the meet. They have responded positively. I am very much confident that the suspension would be lifted by the meeting once the election is over," said Silwal.

Issuing a separate statement, ICC also confirmed that the CAN Annual General Meeting has been scheduled for September 27 and 28 following a meeting with Silwal. "Elections of the Central Working Committee will be conducted during the AGM and will be overseen by the Independent Panel formed under the provisions of the CAN constitution," reads the statement. “I am optimistic that upon conclusion of the central elections, the ICC Board will be in a position to consider Nepal’s reinstatement at its October meeting in Sydney,” Khwaja was quoted in the statement.

ICC had suspended CAN in April, 2016 owing to duel existence of the cricket governing body in the country and government interference in the election. Nepali cricket has long been in crisis after a faction of the previous CAN committee led by Tanka Aangbuhang held its general assembly and subsequently elections without support from the National Sports Council (NSC), the country’s top sports governing body. The Council had refused to give legitimacy to the new body under Chatur Bahadur Chand, which was formed on December 15, 2015, following a controversial election not contested by then CAN president Aangbuhang and his faction.

NSC, in February 2016, formed an ad-hoc committee under Ramesh Silwal which prompted ICC to suspend CAN. Later ICC had formed an advisory committee in 2016 entrusting it with the responsibility of drafting a new statute of the cricket governing body and facilitating in holding a fresh election. The new statute was unanimously approved by CAN in April 2018. ICC had formed Independent Committee in July last year and tasked it to oversee the elections of districts and provinces under the newly adopted statute. The election process of district and province were completed two weeks earlier.

Earlier the Advisory Committee and the Independent Panel had announced to hold the election on September 20 and 21. But NSC had expressed reservation on the date claiming that they had not taken its consent, while also not following a minimum requirement of publishing a 21-day public notice of election.