How Nepal cricket broke away from the shackles of aristocracy

Walking into the well-lit indoor training facility at the Pallekele stadium, there was no international team to be found, or so it seemed upon being given permission to meander through training kits, makeshift ice bags and water bottles looking for players.  

There was, however, a ragtag bunch of rather unpretentious men of varying ages; some were wrapping up their training while others were sitting on benches chatting away with a ready joke on their lips. 

Turns out, this was indeed Nepal’s International cricket team, and they’re a fine sight - a throwback to the times when cricketers wore a calm to them even in the presence of the media.  

When Monty Desai, the head coach, was dragged away from his wards for a moment to get his perspective on the team’s rise - and they have risen a fair bit the last couple of years - all he did was say: “Ah, Binod (the media manager), get these gentlemen whatever they want, please. Also, speak to the captain and Sandeep (Lamichhane) and Pratis (GC) for anything you need.”

The coach, he insisted, didn’t want the spotlight on him so he graciously walked away. And then came the ‘boys’. The first group, it is a group of three players just having a good time, pointed at each other and said: “Interview this fellow, he’s the boss, the big boss.” 

Eventually one agreed to avoid further embarrassment. Reluctantly (not out of hubris, more out of meekness), he proceeded to tell the story of his career, but eventually ended up describing Nepal’s journey which has brought them to the threshold of facing India in the Asia Cup.`

“Sir, life is hard there because of the weather sometimes, but generally, it’s a small country, no,” says Pratis. “We love cricket so we dedicate our lives to it, but most people can’t. We don’t have the facilities or the money that, say, India does.”    

Although the Cricket Association of Nepal was formed in 1946, the sport was largely only for the aristocracy of the region. Thereby, cricket paid the price for being adopted by the privileged as the rest of the country couldn’t approach it without being derided for their economic status. More pertinently, the patronage of the aristocrats began to dwindle for they reckoned the sport ‘tainted’ thereafter.

Years passed, however, and cricket’s reach slowly grew even among the middle-class demographic and eventually earned an Affiliate tag from the International Cricket Council. The Associate tag would come in 1996, but since then, they remained fairly inconspicuous on the international stage, playing the odd tournament here and there. 

Turns out, Nepal was building a tight-knit domestic system at the time, and with the Army and Police taking a keen interest in the sport, it grew at an unprecedented rate. 

The rate was reflected in them qualifying to participate in the Asia Cup after becoming the ACC Premier Cup champions in May this year. They also played the World Cup qualifiers earlier in the year but failed to qualify for the World Cup to be held in India. Still, this is closer to a World Cup than they could have imagined.  

Lamichhane explains: “We have reached this point on the shoulders of our predecessors. It’s remarkable what you can do when you put your mind to it. See, given Nepal’s terrain, it’s not easy for a lot of our cricketers to travel and play. The only other option is to move to Kathmandu and play, They have sacrificed a lot this last year. We barely get to see our families anymore. But that’s what it takes to be an international team.”

Besides the success of the senior team, Nepal have also qualified for the 2024 Under-19 World Cup by securing the top position in the Asian Regional Qualifier in March. Nepal’s national women’s cricket team clinched the title of the Quadrangular T20I series held in Malaysia last week by defeating Hong Kong.

“Our infrastructure needs a lot of work,” says Binod. “We don’t have the kind of international facilities there. We have a lot of good grounds, but these players are professionals and need more.”

Professionals? “Oh, yeah, most of them are posted in either the Army or are with the Police but their only focus is to play cricket,” says Lamichhane. “They don’t do odd jobs to fund their cricket.”

Desai jumps in and adds: “These players have a lot of determination and they are self-starters. They are ready to go any distance for cricket. There are budget restrictions and the infrastructure is still developing. It is not like working with a Full Member team. We need to work around limited resources, but that is a challenge. It’s fun.”

While they may not be the most impressive of the international teams in this tournament, this amiable, but tenacious, bunch is certainly an international team. 

It may not look like it when walking between them, but step away, and you can see that cricket at this level is not about optics but about heart.