ICC to seek clarification from Cricket Association of Nepal

KATHMANDU: The Development Committee of International Cricket Council has decided to give one last chance to the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) to rectify its modus operandi to deal with cricketing activities.

In a meeting held in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, the Development Committee decided to seek clarification from CAN before taking any action against the Nepali body.

“The meeting reached a conclusion that the existing officials are not able to carry out activities in Nepal,” the source told THT on condition of anonymity.

According to the source, the agenda of Nepal cricket board was discussed thoroughly and some of the members also thought of handing suspension for a certain period. “As the ban would hamper the players, which are doing well in recent years, the meeting decided to warn the board and seek clarification owing to the incompetence of the administration,” the source said.

The source informed the ICC had not released the funds for the last three quarters except for the travel expenses of the national teams.

“The CAN should have come to us to get the funds released, but the case is different here. We are going to ask the CAN officials to clarify their version and we will decide further step if their response is not satisfactory,” added the source. “In case they do not come up with clear cut reply, we will send one representative from the ICC to Nepal and consult the stakeholders before taking action.”

The Development Committee included Nepal in its agenda for serious discussion as the ICC was not happy with the working ways of the CAN. The ICC has raised questions in three areas -- financial handling, accountability among office bearers and response to the international body’s correspondence. Recently, the ICC took away two tournaments from Nepal, the ICC U-19 Global Qualifiers was shifted to Malaysia, while Nepal’s World Cricket League Championship matches against Papua New Guinea were moved to the United Arab Emirates. Although the ICC cited security reasons for shifting the events, the root cause is the indifference shown by the CAN in organising the tournaments.

CAN is also facing difficult situation at home as the NSC is planning to bring in new faces. The NSC last week asked the CAN to furnish clarification on 15 points. Like the ICC, the NSC also raised questions over handling of the international funds and nomination of team managers against the instructions of the ICC. Earlier, the ICC had slapped a fine of Rs 8.4 million for not complying with the financial regulations.

At present, only 16 office bearers are left from the 31-member CAN committee, which was elected in 2011. Ten officials, including President Tanka Angbuhang and General Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakurel, stepped down following the corruption charges by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, while two officials resigned from their posts and NSC withdrew other two nominated by the sports governing body.

Senior Vice-president TB Shah, who was appointed as the acting President following the CIAA charge against 10 officials, passed away.