My two cents on the current (sorry) state of Nepal cricket

My two cents on the current (sorry) state of Nepal cricket

It has now reached a point where it feels more like, “Je bolda pani huncha, Je garda pani huncha (English translation: shamelessness)”.

The far cry for accountability or integrity from the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has been beaten to death. As if the apex body of cricket has given up on maintaining any dignity or respect, whatsoever. Fans have stopped expecting too.

One can claim CAN have successfully waned the claims of match and spot-fixing under the carpet by timely decoying the largely controversial integration of Sandeep Lamichhane, a minor’s rape-accused out on bail, in the final squad for the ICC World Cricket League 2 matches set to be held at TU Cricket Ground.

Because, surely, a simple “sorry, we got it wrong” won’t cut for an organization who are elected and appointed to not make these amateur mistakes in the first place.

If “learning on the job” was a requirement, CAN should not ask for Levels or Masters in the vacancy announcements. Just hire randomly like the rest of the things the association has been doing anyway.

If this is the current state of cricket after hiring specialized academics then god bless the education system. One could see from a mile that any connotation with Seven 3 Sports was a train wreck from the get-go.

Burn your certificates or tear them as Deepesh Khatri, a former Nepal cricketer, is now a failed coach because the Cricket Association of Kaski thinks so. But guess, the harsher actions are only reserved for current or former players.

We are governed by luck (or lack of it) brought by references and fabricated requirements, not skill, knowledge, or virtue.

No, the resignation of an already ‘acting’ secretary doesn’t qualify as a natural consequence. If that is the end product of a massive failure in the name of the premier league then it is not catastrophic enough for anyone in the future to not repeat it again.

The sh*t Nepal cricket’s image has taken around the world is another unrepairable damage that will take a generation of good work to re-establish. Yes, the office bearers or board members may not understand it. They don’t have to go and play in overseas leagues. The players do. And if it was difficult before, multiply it by 10 from here on.

Why do you think WPL, the latest sensation in cricket’s premier league landscape, didn’t even entertain a name from Nepal? Oh yeah, people will be ready with answers like, “the players are not good enough”. Same people who probably have not seen a full 20-over inning of women’s domestic cricket mat.

Neither shall we forget, Nepal T20 killed a career even before blossoming. Aadil Alam was supposed to next big thing in Nepal cricket. If it was his fault to engage in spot-fixing, it was brought to his doorstep by CAN itself.

Lamichhane’s inclusion conveniently overshadows the fixing saga. It’s fitting. A guy who is out on bail after he was reportedly suffering from depression in jail. But he is back to his mental & physical best. He is passed by Coach Monty Desai, physiotherapist Vikram Neupane, selector Dipendra Chaudhary and cricket manager Binod Das, to represent Nepal within a month.

The disregard for the heinous crime and disrespect to the victim is appalling. Let’s leave the case to court and, yet, breaching camp is not punishable but asking for your hard-earned place in cricket’s hierarchy is.

If you are wondering why current players are not speaking against the same. Remember what happened last time a few decided to express their displeasure on any public platform, social or mainstream media. It is a different story altogether that rules are different for specific players.

One would argue, Nepal needs to be at its best to win as many matches as possible to stay in the hunt for ODI status, let’s stop.

There are far more important things in life than cricket. And if you still want cricketing logic thrown at you. Let’s burst that bubble too.

Nepal won 4 out of the 14 ODI matches Lamichhane captained. A captaincy that was a result of another drawn-out unnecessary controversy between the association and players. The current cricket manager was the head coach of the same U-19 team which sacked Sandeep Lamichhane as a captain a long time ago. And yet, the cricket team was forced to go on that same road.

There is more. Nepal has managed 13 wins out of 30 ODI matches he has played.  The last time, he won a player of the match was in October 2021. He has just one player-of-the-match performance in 19 ICC League 2 matches.

Again, I’m getting partial here. Biased you may say. After all, cricket is not an individual game. A single player can’t do much. Exactly.