Nepali national cricket team was honoured with first-ever ‘Kantipur Icon’ award by the Kantipur Foundation, a non-profit wing promoted by the Kantipur Media Group (KMG), on Friday.

The award carrying a purse of Rs two million was presented to the national team amid a special function organised to mark the 23^rd anniversary of Kantipur Publications on the publications premises at Subidhanagar, Tinkune Kathmandu.

The Kantipur Foundation had chosen the cricket team for the award in February, 2015.

Though preparations were made to hand over the ‘Kantipur Icon’ award in April last year, the plan had to be deferred in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck the country on April 25 and a border blockade. 

A jury panel comprising Professor Lok Raj Baral, then National Planning Commission member Swarnim Wagle, National Human Rights Commission member Mohana Ansari, Kantipur Media Group Chairman Kailash Sirohiya, Editor-in-Chief of The Kathmandu Post, Akhilesh Upadhyay, Editor-in-Chief of Kantipur daily, Sudheer Sharma, reached a unanimous decision to chose the cricket team after several rounds selection procedure.

At the programme, Chairman Sirohiya felicitated the team including Captain Paras Khadka along with the cash award. He said the Foundation has tried to nurture a culture to award the people making outstanding contribution for the nation.

During the ceremony, KMG Chairman and Managing Director Sirohiya said the Kantipur Foundation will honour individuals or organisations that make outstanding contribution to the country and that the Nepali cricket team was one of them. 

“There may have been some bad things, but there are some good things as well. The icon award is being distributed in order to send a message that good things too are happening in certain sectors. Sports is the only sector that has been raising hopes,” said Sirohiya. 

After a series of discussions, we chose the national cricket team [for the award] for making the country proud,” said Baral, one of the jury members. 

“The cricket team was chosen for the international acclaim it has brought to the country, for demonstrating collective grit and perseverance against material adversity, and for instilling hope among millions of Nepalis,” reads the citation of the icon award. 

The national cricket team had qualified for the T20 World Cup, the World Cup pre-qualifying stage, and for the World Cricket League Championship in the past two years. 

“The cricket team has rekindled a new vision of national unity. Each time the team plays an international match, it brings together tens of thousands of Nepalis from across the world in real time on social media,” the citation adds.

After receiving the award, Nepali cricket team Captain Paras Khadka said the recent achievements in Nepali cricket were due to the support and love from Nepalis all around the world. 

“Cricket has become one of the most uniting factors in the past few years, and we have inspired children across the country,” he said. “But this is not the first and last award for us. We want to do better in future and try to win for the country.”

He added Kantipur Foundation has set an encouraging precedent through the icon.