20 February 2010

World Cricket League

I was all set to post a piece I had written about the Winter Olympics but changed my mind at the last minute. This morning I got a case of cricket fever.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the running score of Nepal's match against Jersey in the World Cricket League on a Nepal1, the only Nepali TV channel available here in Hyderabad. Immediately, I went searching for Internet links to the game and found that the ICC has a great section dedicated to the tournament with lots of features, photos and videos from Kathmandu. There are also a few prominent Nepali cricket blogs where one can follow the tournament. The Cricket Association of Nepal website is hopeless - I don't think they update it anymore.

The tale of the websites (and Nepal1 TV) reflects the story of Nepali cricket - great interest, great potential, but an underwhelming Association - an opinion that is shared by a few friends I have that are very close to Nepali cricket including some National Team players.

But I remain very positive about Nepali cricket. Unlike Nepali football, those associated with cricket in Nepal have a slightly higher IQ and are capable of moving the sport forward. The technical nature of the game makes it possible to quickly be competitive. Our greatest asset is our geography – cricket’s super power and cash cow is right next door to us and we have the strongest cultural, social and economic ties to them of any country in the world.