Former national cricket team captain Paras Khadka was nominated by the International Cricket Council for the ICC men’s Associate Player of the decade on Tuesday.

Khadka, who stepped down as the skipper in October last year, is one among the six players nominated in the category. He is placed alongside Scottish players Kyle Coetzer, Callum Macleod and Richie Berrington and Papua New Guinea’s Asad Vala and the Netherland’s Peter Borren.

According to the ICC, the winner of the category will be decided through voting on the ICC’s website. However, the date for the award is yet to be announced. Besides Associate Player of the decade, the international cricket governing body has also announced nominees for various nine other categories.

The 32-year-old all-rounder played an influential role in Nepal’s elevation from Division 5 in 2010 to One-Day International (ODI) nation in 2018. Under Khadka’s leadership, the Nepali cricket team got ODI status.

A middle-order batsman, Khadka, who also bowled medium pace, enjoyed an illustrious career ever since he made his foray into cricket. Khadka represented the country in the Under-19 World Cups of 2004, 2006 and 2008 while also being a part of the senior side.

He took over the senior side in 2009 when he was 22 years old, replacing Binod Das. In September 2019, he became the first Nepali cricketer to score a Twenty20 International (T20I) century (106 not out) as Nepal defeated hosts Singapore in the tri-series alongside Zimbabwe. This was also a world record, as he became the first captain ever to score a century while chasing in a T20I. In addition to the T20 century, Khadka also became the first Nepali player to hit an ODI hundred when he slammed 115 runs against the United Arab Emirates in January last year.