Former national cricket captain Paras Khadka was honoured by the Nepalese Association of Victoria (NAV) in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday.

Khadka was feted for his contributions as a national cricket captain by NAV president Prem Raj Upreti, Victorian Legislative Assembly Members Kathleen Matthews-Ward and Trung Luu, and MaxiMax Education Consultancy Director Shankar Dharel, among others.

“We must credit Khadka for taking Nepal’s cricket to this height,” Upreti, who had played domestic tournaments in Nepal alongside Khadka, said. “He played a key role both as a member of the squad and the captain for the growth of Nepali cricket.”

He added that honouring Khadka was a matter of pride not only for the Nepali community of Melbourne but also the whole Victoria State.

Meanwhile, Binod Pandey, sports journalist of the Post’s sister publication Kantipur daily, was also feted on the occasion.

Thanking the organisers for the honour, Khadka asked the NAV and Nepali community in Melbourne to work together to create an environment for Nepali cricketers to play in Australia.

Khadka, who started his international career in 2002 during ACC U-15 Asia Cup, played almost two decades for the country before he retired in 2021. Under his captaincy, Nepal elevated to ODI status from ICC World Cricket League Division-5.