The captain of the Nepali cricket team Paras Khadka in conversation with Rabindra Mishra.
We lost the match to Afghanistan because we didn’t put enough runs on the board. If we had not lost early wickets, we could have scored more runs. Although we recovered later in the innings, it was too late.
Afghanistan is a very good side. The players have greater exposure to professional cricket and have even played with top international teams. They seem to have the complete backing of everyone from the sponsors to the fans to the cricket administration.
As far as our players are concerned they put 100 per cent into every game. But we lack a domestic structure. There are no opportunities to play competitive cricket year round. Youngsters who want to play in the national side have no clue how to get in.
Every time there is a tournament, it feels like Dasain. Everybody wants to have fun while it lasts, but no one remembers us afterwards. And players who get no practice all year are expected to win every match and unfairly criticised for every loss. If we base our selection process and tryouts on annual tournaments like the ACC T20, we will never progress.
Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has to be more dynamic and proactive. It needs to go on talent hunts to find youngsters, organise tournaments regularly, and sign flexible sponsorship deals which can bring maximum revenue into the game. We need a more professional setup if we want to prosper.
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