“With utmost clarity, respect and gratitude, I have now decided to retire myself from playing international cricket,” tweeted Khadka.

The former captain of the national cricket team started his cricket career in 2002 in the Asian Cricket Council U-15 tournament. He made his debut for Nepal’s national team in 2004 in the Intercontinental Cup in Malaysia.

The 33-year-old cricketer led Nepal’s national team from the status of ‘Division 5 team,’ the lowest tier of international cricket, in 2010 to ‘one-day international (ODI) nation,’ the highest tier, in 2018. It is a rare achievement for any country to achieve that status in such a short period.

Khadka even played a crucial role in qualifying Nepal for the 2014 T20 World Cup, the first time Nepal faced the top cricket nations in an ICC event.

Also Read: Paras Khadka Steps Down From Captaincy, Ends Decade-Long Reign

“As the team leader, he deserved most of the credit for Nepal’s winning outcomes,” said Jagat Tamata, Nepal’s former coach.

“Besides that ability to motivate his team and the ability to make the right decision at the right time, luck also played a part in his becoming the most decorated cricketer of the country,” he added.

“Cricket was not very popular in Nepal until we played the 2014 T20 World Cup. The game’s popularity rose massively when Nepal played the World Cup in Bangladesh,” said Poudel.

Nepal’s top leg spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who debuted in 2016 under Khadka’s leadership, said, “It was an amazing experience and a dream come true to play under Khadka’s captaincy.”

Also Read: Paras Khadka’s First- Ever T20I ‘Century’ Makes History for Nepal!

“He was always there whenever anyone in the team needed him. Not only was he a fantastic cricketer, but also a great motivator,” added Sandeep.

Khadka captained the national cricket team from 2009 to 2019, becoming the longest-serving overall international captain.

“This amazing journey on a cricket field as an international cricketer ends here, but the cricket dreams for my country have just started,” tweeted Khadka.

pic.twitter.com/btB0k11Xqe

— Paras Khadka (@paras77) August 3, 2021

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In a press meet organised by Queens Event Management in Kathmandu, Khadka expressed his view about winning the World Cup, as the management company introduced a brand new U16 cricket tournament, the Baliyo Nepal Cup, aiming to uplift grassroots cricket in Nepal.

The Queens Event Management company is one of the pioneers in the Nepalese domestic cricket circuit which has successfully organised the premier T20 franchise leagues – the Pokhara Premier League and Women’s Champions League, until the outbreak of COVID-19.

This will be the third venture of the event management company towards cricket development and will be supported by the Baliyo Nepal initiative.

“We are on a mission to win the ICC Cricket World Cup within 2039. We have played a Cricket World Cup (T20) earlier, and we have aimed for at most 19 more years to win the ICC Cricket World Cup.

“Earlier, people used to laugh at us when we dreamt about playing the world cup in 2013-14, but then, we worked hard on the field and fulfilled our dream. This initiative is a pathway to our world cup winning dream”, Khadka, also the board member of the Baliyo Nepal initiative, told the press.

The Baliyo Nepal Initiative, works on the availability of nutritious diets to children, with a goal to make Nepal ‘a strong and malnutrition-free country’. The organisers announced that in the first phase, the Baliyo Nepal Cup will see the participation of 12 districts’ respective boys teams from the Lumbini Province, one among seven provinces of Nepal.

The tournament will be played in a T20 format, after carrying out talent hunts in schools of all districts in the province. In the latter stage of the young talent development program, the organisers have announced that the tournaments will be carried out all across the nation, to both boys and girls.

“I think we all trust now that cricket in Nepal has a lot of potential. To fulfill our dream of winning the World Cup, we need to invest at the grassroots level, especially the school cricket. I wish luck to the organisers in finding young cricketers from nooks and corners of the country”, Gyanendra Malla, the current skipper of the Nepal Cricket Team, said in the press meet.

The talent hunt will be carried out from the 25-28th of April while the tournament is set to kick off from 3rd to 10th of April, in Lamahi District of Dang.

Source: Emergingcricket

The post On a mission to win the World Cup: Paras Khadka appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The big news for Nepali cricket fans is that Nepal’s former captain Paras Khadka has been nominated for the prestigious ICC Men’s Associate Player of the Decade.

According to the list released on November 24, six players have been nominated for the accolade. Besides Paras, Callum Macleod (Scotland), Kyle Coetzer (Scotland), Richie Berrington (Scotland), Peter Borren (the Netherlands), and Asad Vala (Papua New Guinea) have been selected.

Let’s take a glance at the various ICC awards for the decade and the players nominated for each category:

? years
? 3711 games
⭐ Countless memories

The #ICCAwards are back, this time with an entire DECADE in focus ?

We’ll be giving away some incredible fan prizes too, so keep your eyes peeled ? pic.twitter.com/7B1UyU6eQa

— ICC (@ICC) November 24, 2020

• ICC Men’s Player of the Decade

Nominees: Virat Kohli (India), Ravichandran Ashwin (India), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Joe Root (England), Steve Smith (Australia), AB de Villiers (South Africa), and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

• ICC Women’s Player of the Decade

Nominees: Mithali Raj (India), Meg Lanning (Australia), Ellyse Perry (Australia), Stafanie Taylor (West Indies), Suzie Bates (New Zealand), and Sarah Taylor (England)

• ICC Men’s Test Player of the Decade

Nominees: Virat Kohli (India), Steve Smith (Australia), Joe Root (England), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), James Anderson (England), Yasir Shah (Pakistan), and Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

• ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Decade

Nominees: Virat Kohli (India), Rohit Sharma (India), MS Dhoni (India), Mitchell Starc (Australia), AB de Villiers (South Africa), Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

• ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Decade

Nominees: Mithali Raj (India), Jhulan Goswami (India), Ellyse Perry (Australia), Meg Lanning (Australia), Stafanie Taylor (West Indies), and Suzie Bates (New Zealand)

• ICC Men’s T20I Player of the Decade

Nominees: Virat Kohli (India), Rohit Sharma (India), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Aaron Finch (Australia), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Chris Gayle (West Indies), and Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)

• ICC Women’s T20I Player of the Decade

Nominees: Meg Lanning (Australia), Ellyse Perry (Australia), Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Alyssa Healy (Australia), Deandra Dottin (West Indies), and Anya Shrubsole (England)

• ICC Women’s Associate Player of the Decade

Nominees: Sornnorin Tippoch (Thailand), Nattakan Chantam (Thailand), Chanida Sutthiruang (Thailand), Sarah Bryce (Scotland), Kathryn Bruce (Scotland), and Sterre Kalis (the Netherlands)

• ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade

Nominees: Virat Kohli (India), MS Dhoni (India), Anya Shrubsole (England), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan), Katherine Brunt (England), and Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)

The ICC will decide the winners in all ten categories based on the number of public votes a player receives.

Stay Tuned to NepaliSansar for Latest Nepali Cricket News!

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The post Nepal’s Paras Khadka in Nominations for ICC Men’s Associate Player of the Decade! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

When Khadka was asked about who according to him should be Nepal’s next cricket captain, he unhesitatingly named Gyanendra Malla.

Paras Khadka stepped down from the captaincy after the International Cricket Council confirmed the reinstatement of the Cricket Association of Nepal.

Likewise, Dipendra Singh Airee has replaced Malla as the Vice-Captain of the Nepal national cricket team and Rit Gautam has been appointed as the captain of the Nepal U-19 Team, replacing Rohit Kumar Paudel.

Paras Khadka Congratulated Gyanendra Malla

Congratulations to the most deserving person @gyanu_gm11 on being appointed as the Captain of the Nepal Cricket Team. One who has served the country with great passion,discipline and commitment.I am very sure we will prosper under his leadership to new heights. pic.twitter.com/wbjK4wKnEI

— Paras Khadka (@paras77) October 30, 2019

Congratulations to Gyanendra Malla and Rit Gautam!

Nepali Sansar wishes them luck for all their endeavors. All the best! Stay tuned for all Nepal cricket news updates!

The post Gyanendra Malla Appointed Nepal’s New Cricket Captain appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Khadka was the longest-serving cricket captain for Nepal until date.

The Nepal cricket captain had earlier announced his decision through his Twitter handle, after he expressed his happiness on CAN’s reinstatement.

“Great to know that the suspension of Nepal cricket has been lifted and would like to wish the new committee to work for the betterment of Nepal cricket, players and its stake holders. I have hereby decided to resign from my post as the captain of Nepal cricket team. Jai Nepal !!,” read Khadka’s tweet.

Great to know that the suspension of Nepal cricket has been lifted and would like to wish the new committee to work for the betterment of Nepal cricket,players and its stake holders.
I have hereby decided to resign from my post as the captain of Nepal cricket team.
Jai Nepal !! pic.twitter.com/YuRBZkR7bU

— Paras Khadka (@paras77) October 15, 2019

He also talked about his decision to media persons at the Women’s Champions League trophy unveiling ceremony on October 15, 2019.

“It was not a decision taken overnight. But it was not a difficult one. I wanted to leave on a high. It was my decision. I feel it is the right time. I am very satisfied with my stint,” he said.

Khadka was waiting for CAN’s reinstatement to announce his resignation.

“I firmly believe the current setup deserves a new leadership group. Everybody has to start afresh – players and administrators. It is a new challenge for us all. Let’s hope everyone will fulfill their respective responsibilities in future to take Nepali cricket forward,” Khadka said.

A positive Khadka said that he has taken Nepal Cricket as far as possible and that now he wishes to take a break from the game for some time.

“I would like to take a break. I feel relieved. I had loads of things to do in the last few years. It’s about time I took some time away. Cricket has made my identity. As long as I live, I will continue to help Nepali cricket,” he said.

Khadka identifies Nepal’s ODI Status as his career’s biggest achievement and the ICC World T20 Tournament as a memorable event in his stint. Nevertheless, the captain regrets every loss Nepal underwent in his captaincy.

“Where Nepali cricket is despite all the odds feels sometimes like a dream. I think the players were honest and they sacrificed selflessly to attain this height. However, CAN will have to take steps to secure a future as well for the cricketers,” Khadka remarked.

During his address, the cricket captain fondly remembered all the Nepal cricket coaches he had worked with – Roy Dias, Pubudu Dassanayake and Umesh Patwal and credited them for Nepal cricket’s success.

“We were blessed to have coaches like Roy Dias, Pubudu Dassanayake, Umesh Patwal, along with local coach Jagat Tamata. The clarity of vision, energy and similar mentality among players and coaches helped us come this far,” said Paras Khadka.

When asked about future prospects of working with CAN, Khadka said that he was hopeful of leading CAN in the future but he first wants to work off-field as an administrator for Nepal cricket’s development.

On an ending note, Khadka said that Nepal cricket will not end with his captaincy and with many promising young players in the team, the game is bound to grow. However, their ability to conquer the world will depend on the training and mentoring they receive.

Talking about the new captaincy he said, “Electing a new captain is not my decision. It’s up to the governing body. In my honest opinion, Gyanendra Malla should be given the reigns for a year to groom a new young captain who will eventually take Nepali cricket forward. In the end, whoever it might be, Nepali cricket should develop further through everyone’s collective efforts.”

 Paras Khadka’s Cricket Achievements

Skipper Khadka started his career with a match against Malaysia in April 2004. Following are his achievements:

• First Nepali player to score a century in T20I cricket with a score of 106 off 52 deliveries in the match with Singapore on September 29, 2019.
• First Nepali batsmen to score a century in an ODI match in the game against UAE on January 28, 2019
• Part of Nepal’s first ODI International campaign against Netherlands in August 2016
• Contributed to Nepal’s Twenty20 International status earned from the ICC World Twenty20 2014 match against Bangladesh
• Sixth Nepali cricketer to score an international century, hitting an unbeaten 106 off 77 deliveries against Kuwait in the 2012 ACC Trophy Elite in October 2012
• Held a boycott against the then CAN administration for board restructuring and better resources and facilities for players.
• Brought about the reinstatement of Nepal Cricket Head Coach Pubudu Dassanayke in 2016.

Matches Won and Statuses Earned Under Paras Khadka’s Captaincy

Nepal won the following matches under Khadka’s leadership:

• ICC World Cricket League Division Five 2010 held in Nepal
• ICC World Cricket League Division Four 2012
• ACC Trophy Elite 2012
• ICC World Cricket League Division Three 2013
• ICC World Cricket League Division Three 2014
• ICC World Cricket League Division Two 2018
• Earned ODI status for four years after becoming the highest associate nation in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2018

Khadka is considered as a revolutionary who changed the scenario of Nepal cricket and has earned respect internationally and nationally for the same.

Sandeep Lamichhane’s Tribute to Nepal Captain

After Captain Khadka announced his resignation, Nepal’s ace spin-bowler Lamichhane also took to Twitter to praise his captain’s contribution to the team and his achievements over the years.

“Starting the journey under your captainship, we’ve reached places Nepal cricket had never been able to. You’ve inspired so many youths including me in the past years and given us all more reason to love this beautiful game. Best wishes for your future endeavors,” wrote Lamichhane.

pic.twitter.com/L3HxF1epLh

— Sandeep Lamichhane (@IamSandeep25) October 15, 2019

“and we’d all love to see you representing Nepal for as many years as possible! You are truly a legend that has made a huge mark on all of our hearts, Here’s to you Captain! The Legend Daju” he added.

The post Paras Khadka Steps Down From Captaincy, Ends Decade-Long Reign appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

In his interaction with the youngsters, the cricketing star advised them to balance studies and sports if they want to become successful cricketers.

Khadka said that it is possible to study and play cricket simultaneously. However, he added that it was important to manage time.

“If you dream of making it to the national team ignoring your studies, it is just a fantasy. You’d better practice cricket for a couple of hours a day instead of giving up studies and going to the cricket pitch round the clock,” said Khadka.

During the training session hosted by Star Cricket Academy, Khadka shared some cricket tips and his own batting and bowling experience with young cricketers from twenty local schools.

Meanwhile, Khadka also made a mention of the poor cricket infrastructure in Nepal and the absence of a strong cricket association.

On the positive side, he informed that Nepal will be getting to play more international tournaments as the concerned authorities were working towards the development of physical infrastructure for cricket to flourish in Nepal.

On the occasion, Khadka awarded NPR 5000 each to Ranjit Maurya and Abishkhar Gyawali who had earlier bowled Khadka out in the event titled Bowl to Paras Khadka.

This year, Khadka was named Youth Icon for 2019 on March 19, 2019.

Related Articles:

• Paras Khadka Enters ICC T20I All-Rounder Ranking ‘Top 50’

The post Nepal Cricket Team Khadka Shares Valuable Cricket Lessons with Youngsters appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The Kathmandu Youth Conclave 2019 honored Khadka with the ‘Youth Icon 2019’ award at a special program in Kathmandu on March 19, 2019.

Paras Khadka also received a cash prize of NPR 100,000.

The program featured speeches by successful personalities of Nepal in various fields and their address to future students.

Khadka was recognized for his contribution to the Nepali cricket and also for being an inspiration to Nepali youth.

Miss Nepal 2018 Shrinkhala Khatiwada was also another special attraction to the event. She spoke on prosperity through tourism.

IT Consultant to Prime Minister of Nepal Asgar Ali, who spoke on the future of e-commerce and IT, Actor Sandip Chhetri were among key highlights of the event.

The program also presented musical performances by students from different Nepali colleges, besides food stalls, game zones and other special events.

More than 3000 students attended this program that was focused on promoting leadership, management and industrial skills.

Also Read:

• Nepal Cricket Awards: Sandeep Lamichhane Named ‘Male Cricketer of the Year’!

The post Paras Khadka Named Nepal’s ‘Youth Icon for 2019’ appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Yes! Nepal’s first-ever cricket award ceremony honored the national cricket team’s leg spinner with the ‘Male Cricketer of the Year’ award.

Sandeep’s name was awarded this honor in the NCCS-CPAN Cricket Awards ceremony held at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture.

Sandeep was recognized for his outstanding performance of claiming 84 wickets in 32 matches, collectively, he played part of the senior and U-19 teams.

He was also the ‘Player of the Match’ in the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in Namibia and has a crucial role in driving Nepal’s identity in ODI matches.

Sandeep was awarded a cash prize of NPR 132,000!

Nepal national team captain Paras Khadka received the award on behalf of Sandeep, who is currently in UAE tour for the Pakistan Super League.

Meanwhile, Nepal national women team Vice-Captain Sita Rana Magar was announced for the ‘female cricketer of the year’ award. Indu Barma, skipper Rubina Chhetri, Karuna Bhandari, and Sarita Magar were other nominees in the female category.

Sita was recognized for her performance at the Thailand Women’s Twenty20 Smash that ended in January 2019. 

Rohit Kumar Paudel’s name was announced for the ‘Emerging Cricketer of the Year’ award for his performance at the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in Namibia.

Paudel was also appreciated for his record as the ‘youngest ODI half-century holder’ in the history in the lines of Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi.

Karan KC was named for the ‘Moment Of The Year’ award for his instrumental performance against Canada in the ICC Division 2 tournament in Namibia, which was key for Nepal’s ‘ODI Nation Status’.

Komal Pandey was chosen for the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.

Other than ‘Male Player of the Year’ category, other winners were awarded NPR 66,000 cash prize, each. Nepali actor Sandeep Chhetri, live performance by Singer Dharmendra Sewan and cultural performance from the NCCS students were other highlights of the show.

Cricket Players Association Nepal and National College for Computer Studies (NCCS) jointly organized the event.

Related News:

• Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane Bags ‘Breakthrough Star’ Title
• Nepal — A Growing Cricket Nation

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In its recent announcement, the International Cricket Council raised the rankings of Nepal cricket team captain Paras Khadka, Basant Regmi and bowler Sompal, among others.

• ICC placed Paras at the 90^th position as a ‘batsman’ and at 40^th position as an ‘all-rounder’ in its recently-revealed World T20 rankings.
• Regmi climbed three points up to reach 71^st position.
• Sompal has also climbed to 70^th position for his ‘bowling’ performance and 51^st position as an ‘all-rounder’.

Besides Nepali cricketers, Babar Azam of Pakistan is standing at the top in ‘batting’, while Rashid Khan of Afghanistan is leading in ‘bowler’ category and Glen Maxwell of Australia in ‘all-rounder’ category.

The new rankings come as an encouragement to Nepali cricket team in view of their recent victory in the recently-concluded ODI series with UAE team.

Hope, the new rankings will instill additional confidence in the players to perform in a much better way in their future matches.

The post ICC World T20 Rankings: Nepali Cricketers Scale New Ranks! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The team players were welcomed home with a red-carpet entry at the Tribhuvan International Airport, where members of the National Sports Council and hundreds of fans waited to celebrate the team’s consecutive victories.

Some Key Achievements to Recall

Nepal won both the series at a score of 2-1, respectively, with the captain and team mates combined efforts. Here are some of the highlights from both series:

• Skipper Paras Khadka’s century against a 115 delivery
• Sompal Kami’s 5-wicket haul
• Rohit Kumar Paudel’s youngest half-centurion record in ODI cricket
• Sandeep Jora’s youngest half-centurion record in T20I cricket
• Avinash Bohara Player of the T20I Series

Nepal Cricket Team Debutants Instrumental in Victories

The two games bought out the best in the debutant players—Sandeep Jora and Pawan Sarraf.

Skipper Khadka proudly spoke about the young players’ contribution to the team’s victories. He believes that healthy competition among players is good news for the national team.

While the debutants did their best at the series, they said there was more room for improvement.

Each debutant thanked and credited their coach Umesh Patwal for his guidance in training them according to their skill.

“It was better than I expected. The conditions were better for batting in Dubai than here in Kathmandu. And our respected batting coach Umesh Patwal also helped a lot,” said Sandeep Jora while talking about his T20I experience.

We are proud of you Team Nepal!

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