Paras Khadka, the face of Nepali cricket<\/a>, has announced his retirement from international cricket.<\/p>\n \u201cWith utmost clarity, respect and gratitude, I have now decided to retire myself from playing international cricket,\u201d tweeted Khadka.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s national team in 2004 in the Intercontinental Cup in Malaysia.<\/p>\n The 33-year-old cricketer led Nepal\u2019s national team from the status of \u2018Division 5 team,\u2019 the lowest tier of international cricket, in 2010 to \u2018one-day international (ODI) nation,\u2019 the highest tier, in 2018. It is a rare achievement for any country to achieve that status in such a short period.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Also Read: Paras Khadka Steps Down From Captaincy, Ends Decade-Long Reign<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n “As the team leader, he deserved most of the credit for Nepal’s winning outcomes,\u201d said Jagat Tamata, Nepal\u2019s former coach.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cBesides 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.<\/p>\n “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,\u201d said Poudel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n 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\u2019s captaincy.”<\/p>\n Also Read: Paras Khadka\u2019s First- Ever T20I \u2018Century\u2019 Makes History for Nepal!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n “He was always there whenever anyone in the team needed him. Not only was he a fantastic cricketer, but also a great motivator,\u201d added Sandeep.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Khadka captained the national cricket team<\/a> from 2009 to 2019, becoming the longest-serving overall international captain.<\/p>\n \u201cThis amazing journey on a cricket field as an international cricketer ends here, but the cricket dreams for my country have just started,\u201d tweeted Khadka.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n pic.twitter.com\/btB0k11Xqe<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Paras Khadka (@paras77) August 3, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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