Nepali cricket team

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The Nepali cricket team is the cricket team representing the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. It is run by the Cricket Association of Nepal, which was founded in 1946, became a member of the Asian Cricket Council in 1994 and was elected to associate membership of the International Cricket Council in 1996.

Contents

1 History

1.1 Tournament History

1.1.1
1.1.2
1.1.3
1.1.4 ACC Premier League
1.1.5 ACC Trophy

2 Cricket in 2006
3 See also
4 References

History

Cricket came to Nepal in the early 20th century. The then-ruling Rana family studied in England and India where they learnt of the game. When they returned to Nepal, they established a cricket grounds near the royal palaces. The Cricket Association of Nepal now has 41 cricket grounds in 26 cities and towns. 5 of these are up to international standard.

Nepal gained affiliate membership of the ICC in 1988, and became an associate member in 1996. [link] They competed in the first ACC Trophy in 1996, and have competed in every such tournament since, their best result coming in 2002, when they finished as runners up to UAE. They competed in the ICC Trophy for the first, and to date only, time in the 2001 tournament, though they didn't progress beyond the first round.

Nepal have played in both years so far of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, finishing second in the Asian group both times. Nepal won one of the games, and drew the other, whereas the UAE won one and lost one. Although Nepal had the better Win/Loss record, the UAE topped the group through bonus points, a factor which led to the ICC reforming the competition from 2006. Nepal will have a qualification play off against Namibia to qualify for the 2006 tournament.

Nepali cricket took a giant stride forward in February 2006 when the Under-19 team beat New Zealand in the final of the Plate Championship of the ICC Under-19 World Cup[link]. One of the biggest stars of the tournament for Nepal was Kanishka Chaugain, for whom this was his third appearance in the tournament. He provided solid starts to Nepal and was regularly backed up by a patient middle order. Another encouraging aspect of the tournament was that of the Nepali bowlers, who managed to restrict Test sides like South Africa, New Zealand and England to modest totals. Many believe a stable political situation in Nepal and a modest increase in funding for cricket in the country can propel the national team to great heights.

Tournament History

Nepal have never qualified for the Cricket World Cup.

2004: First round
2005: First round
2006: Did not qualify

1979 to 1986 inclusive: Not eligible - Not an ICC member
1990: Not eligible - ICC affiliate member
1994: Not eligible - ICC affiliate member
1997: Did not participate
2001: First round
2005: Did not qualify

ACC Premier League

2004: 3rd place
2005: Runners up

ACC Trophy

1996: First round
1998: First round
2000: Semi Finals
2002: Runners up
2004: 5th place

Cricket in 2006

In March, Nepal played Namibia to decide which team gets the final place in the 2006 Intercontinental Cup. They drew the game, which meant that Namibia qualified for the first round due to their higher ranking.

In August, Nepal will compete in the 2006 ACC Trophy. A good finish in this tournament will progress them along the road to qualification for the 2011 World Cup. Throughout the year they will also compete in the 2006 ACC Premier League, playing 3-day matches against Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and UAE.

References

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National cricket teams
Test cricket>Test and ODI (10): Australia \| Bangladesh \| England \| India \| New Zealand \| Pakistan \| South Africa \| Sri Lanka \| West Indies \| Zimbabwe
One-day International>ODI (6): Bermuda \| Canada \| Ireland \| Kenya \| Netherlands \| Scotland
Other List of International Cricket Council members>ICC associate members (26): Argentina \| Belgium \| Botswana \| Cayman Islands \| Denmark \| Fiji \| France \| Germany \| Gibraltar \| Hong Kong \| Israel \| Italy \| Japan \| Kuwait \| Malaysia \| Namibia \| Nepal \| Nigeria \| Papua New Guinea \| Singapore \| Tanzania \| Thailand \| Uganda \| United Arab Emirates \| United States \| Zambia
Some List of International Cricket Council members>ICC affiliate members (5 of 54): Afghanistan \| Austria \| Cuba \| Norway \| Oman >
Non-members: Barbadian cricket team>Barbados \| East Africa \| Guyana \| Jamaica \| Trinidad and Tobago \| Wales