Nepal earned ODI status by finishing as one of the three leading Associates (along with the Dutch) in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018. (ICC)
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On the cusp of their first One Day International match, Nepal captain Paras Khadka says the milestone is just the beginning of the cricketing journey for his country. Nepal are set to take on Netherlands in a two-match ODI series - their first ever. They will play their first game on August 1 at Amstelveen, with the second game at the same venue two days later.
“This has been such a long, amazing journey for Nepal cricket but playing our first ever One-Day Internationals against the Netherlands is only the beginning,” the 30-year-old wrote in his column for ICC. “We have always wanted to get to this point but the challenge is to keep on growing. Eight years ago, we were playing in ICC World Cricket League Division Five and now we are among the top 16 nations in the world, with ODI status guaranteed for the next four years.
Nepal secured ODI status after finishing as the three leading Associates in the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, by beating Papua New Guinea & Hong Kong in March this year. Apart from their performance at the World Cup Qualifiers, the skipper regards their spectacular triumph over Hong Kong in the qualifiers to make the 2014 T20 World Cup as one of Nepal’s greatest moments.
“I hope we can keep this going and continue to grow because our next goal is to become a Test-playing country. We have worked hard for ODI status and the games against the Netherlands are opportunities for us to explore ourselves, enjoy the experience and hopefully put up good performances.
“One of the happiest days since then was the day – 27 November 2013 – when we beat Hong Kong off the last ball to qualify for the 2014 ICC World T20 in Bangladesh. I remember feeling very nervous. You have dreamed all these years and then it’s there in front of you. Three and a half hours away. You can make the biggest step in your cricket careers. It did take a lot out of us. We played some of our best cricket during those three matches at the ICC World T20, against Hong Kong again, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.”
Despite their remarkable achievement to get this far, the skipper has his eyes set on the bigger picture – qualifying for the 2023 World Cup in India.
“We are already looking ahead to the qualifying stages for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023,” said Khadka. “This is a wonderful opportunity. The government in Nepal are looking to help us grow and hopefully, we will have a fully functioning cricket board soon as well. If we can get all the resources together then hopefully we will have good days ahead for Nepal cricket.”
Speaking about his own future, Khadka said, “There will come a time when it is enough – it might be in six months or six years. But for now, I want to contribute as much as possible and keep pushing myself. It all comes down to setting standards and taking it from there. As captain, it has been a fabulous journey and I hope it will continue. The most important thing is to keep performing and to help the team grow.”
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