Kathmandu, November 14

Sports authorities today announced both men and women cricket teams for the 13th South Asian Games slated for December 1-10 in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Janakpur.

The men’s team was selected by coach Umesh Patwal and skipper Gyanendra Malla, who are currently in Bangladesh for the ACC Emerging Teams Cup, while National Sports Council chief coach Jagat Tamatta, coach Samson Jung Thapa and coordination committee member Suman Raj Karki picked up the women’s team.

Along with skipper Malla and his deputy Dipendra Singh Airee, former captain Paras Khadka, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Binod Bhandari, Abinash Bohara, Sushan Bhari, Kushal Bhurtel, Sundeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Pawan Sarraf, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi and Rashid Khan are in the 15-member squad. Rohit Kumar Paudel, Bhim Sharki and Sagar Dhakal are kept as reserve players.

Rubina Chhetri Belbashi will lead the women’s team, while Sita Rana Magar is the vice-captain. Indu Barma, Kajal Shrestha, Karuna Bhandari, Apsari Begam, Sonu Khadka, Saraswoti Chaudhary, Mamta Chaudhary, Anjali Chand, Sarita Magar, Shanti Khatiwada, Roma Thapa, Dolly Bhatta and Kabita Kunwar are in the 15-membe squad. Three players, Jyoti Pandey, Sangita Rai and Asmita Karmacharya have been kept in reserve list.

The men’s tournament will be held at the Tribhuvan University Stadium. India and Pakistan have not registered their teams in the tournament. The women’s tournament will be played in Pokhara.