1. Coach Basanta Shahi Thakuri credited the team spirit for Nepal’s victory in the ACC U-16 Premier cricket
tournament in Malaysia.
“Team spirit was the foundation of the victory.” said Thakuri upon the team’s arrival at the Tribhuvan
International Airport today. “The boys played as per the game plan although the players were not experienced
to that. We made them mentally strong,” he added.
Shahi said the team had the depth in batting and the players converted the revenge plot against the final-round
match against Malaysia. Nepal registered a 32-run victory over the hosts to claim the maiden U-16 title and
became the only nation to win all the age-group events of the Asian Cricket Council.
Skipper Sumit Maharjan said all the team members gave their best in Malaysia. “The team spirit was high and
the team was good in all the aspects,” Maharjan said. He said the match against Singapore was a tough one for
the team. “Now we need exposure and the association should try for scholarships and manage training centres
for us,” he added. “We would like to play at higher level and earn spots in the national team.”
Assistant coach Raju Basnyat said the team gave its best despite having limited time to form the team. “The
spin bowling was our strength and they delivered when team required them to perform,” Basnyat said. He also
credited the players for their superb fielding in the final match against Malaysia. “We cannot single out a
player as all the 14 members of the squad played their parts in winning the title,” he added. “These youngsters
are the next generation of Nepali cricket and they could be a good back up for the senior side.”
Jitendra Singh, who was declared the best bowler of the tournament, said all the players played good cricket.
“The victory is the biggest lift for our career. We played for the country and it feels good when we win the
title,” he added. “I will try my best to keep working hard and break into the national team one day,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 each to all the members
of the squad. “As a gesture to encourage the players we are honouring the team members,” Minister
Purushottam Paudel wrote on his Facebook account. The Cricket Association of Nepal on Wednesday
announced a reward of Rs 20,000 each to team members.
