The current Nepali national cricket team arguably boasts the best batch of cricketers the country has produced so far. It clearly became the ‘Golden Batch’ in the history of Nepali cricket ever since it crossed the domestic boundary in 1996 by participating in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) trophy. The likes of Shakti Gauchan, Basanta Regmi, Sharad Veshwakar, Paras Khadka and Gyanendra Malla—in chronological order based on their debut for the senior national team—are the best of Nepali cricket. Add Binod Das and Mehboob Alam to the list, who have not hung their boots yet, and the roster will feature on anyone’s all-time greatest Nepali team.

Of course, some other names likely to feature in the list may be the first ever captain of the national team Uttam Karmacharya, along with Raju Khadka and others. Forgive me for not including names like Shrinivas Rana and Pukar Panta, considered by some to be the best batting talents the country has seen, and Anup Thapa, one of the fastest new ball bowlers, as they were not lucky enough to wear the national jersey in any official international tournament. Further-more, my intention here is not to select a dream team that will represent Nepal in another World Cup.

Who next?

For me, Nepal fittingly played the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup T20 at a time when the best batch of cricketers is still in its heyday. But how long will it continue playing for Nepal and what are the backup plans? Even the youngest player in the batch, Gyanendra Malla, has played for more than seven years for the national team. Shakti and Binod, the senior-most players on the roster, crossed their prime long ago but what kept them going was the dream to play in the World Cup. Having achieved that, the drive and zeal to continue may not be as strong as it was before the World Cup. It will not be long before the Golden Batch will have to give way for others one by one.  

Skipper Paras Khadka, after the sixth consecutive defeat at the ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand in February, told me in a very sad tone that he did not think he would be playing in another World Cup qualifier, which comes once every four years. Paras was more aggrieved than angry for his team had put up a forgettable performance throughout the tournament. He was feeling sorry for the entire team and for the country’s cricketing future. The best chance to shed the tag of an upcoming associate for one that gets high performance benefits from the International Cricket Council and the provisional One-Day status was missed. Paras knew that it would not be easy next time because we have not seen new talents who can replace the likes of himself and Binod emerging in the limited tournaments that are often organised in haste.

Shakti Gauchan, displaying his passport while in transit at Hong Kong on our return from New Zealand, told me that he did not expect another visa in it after the World T20 in Bangladesh. Shakti bought an expensive perfume for his wife there, probably as a last cricket tour gift to his better half. More than the individual talent and techniques of these players, what makes the current Nepali national cricket team the best ever is its team spirit. Most cricketers on the team grew up together, playing age group tournaments.

Nepal in the World Cup

Reflecting upon the performance of our team in the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh, the performance was not the best ever but the occasion definitely was. Nepal’s performance at the ICC World T20 Qualifier in the United Arab Emirates a few months ago was the peak for me. It was Nepal’s chance to make its World Cup dream come true and the team rose to the occasion by playing the best cricket ever. The rebirth of Sharad Veshwakar, the consistency of Subash Khakurel, the responsibility taken by the spin twins Shakti Gauchan and Basanta Regmi, the maturity of rookie pacer Jitendra Mukhiya and last but not the least, the flamboyance and dynamic leadership of Paras Khadka helped Nepal materialise the dream cherished since the arrival of inspirational coach Pubudu Dassanayake.

A new team like Nepal could have easily been bowed by pressure, like Hong Kong did in the first two matches of the ICC World T20. But our team had nothing to lose in the entire tournament. All it needed to do was showcase its brand of cricket to the world. The win against Afghanistan was definitely the cherry on the cake. Better still, Nepali cricket became the centre of attraction for the entire world during the first round of the tournament in Chittagong. Talk among well-known journalists of the cricket world to make provisions to accommodate at least one associate player in all Indian Premier League franchises outside the foreign players quota, the interest of some Bangladesh Premier League club owners in Nepali players and the limelight skipper Paras Khadka hogged in the press conferences—the only time the press had access to players—all gave a really satisfying feeling to a Nepali cricket follower like me.

Paras has always been known as an outright speaker and the international press loved it as other captains and their answers during the first round were not as expressive and interesting as Paras’. The presence of 15 Nepali journalists in the press box at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong also reflected the craze for cricket back home. The impact should be felt sooner or later.

Long version

Many journalists approached me, most of them Bangladeshis, and I answered most of their queries with a lot of pride and enthusiasm. The performance of the team helped, except on questions regarding the presence of domestic structures and first class cricket. Everyone knows the backbone of cricket is its longer version. However, Nepali cricket has not yet adopted it. A two-day tournament played at home and away was introduced, following pressure from ACC almost a decade ago. But the tournament was aborted mid-way citing the country’s security situation. Later, the ACC also abandoned the idea.

If we want to produce more Parases and Gyanendras in the years to come, a longer version league must be launched. It will not only help nurture homegrown talent but also provide much needed competition for teams that hardly play one 50- or 20-over tournament each every year. The Cricket Association of Nepal might not be able to organise a four-day tournament right away but at least a tournament in a four innings format would be welcome. A two-day format with restrictions on the first innings of either side (generally 60 overs each) would be the best way to start the journey to first class competitions. However, given the way things are right now, I wonder whether the Golden Batch of Nepali cricket will retire without playing any longer version domestic tournament.

Subedi is senior news editor at Nepal Television