Dispute in Cricket Association of Nepal must be fixed pronto first to take our cricket forward

When the Nepali cricket team returned home on March 19 from Zimbabwe, skipper Paras Khadka said, “The players have completed their duty responsibly, and it is the turn of the government and all those who call themselves stakeholders of cricket to work towards preserving the achievement.” He made this statement in the presence of newly appointed Minister for Youth and Sports Jagat Bahadur Biswokarma, Secretary Mahesh Prasad Dahal and National Sports Council Member Secretary Keshav Kumar Bista. Upon their return from Zimbabwe after earning the ODI status, the cricketers received a hero’s welcome at home, and rightly so. Nepal began the ICC World Cup Qualifiers campaign with three consecutive defeats at the hands of Zimbabwe, Scotland and Afghanistan. Yet, mathematically, they were still in the race for Super Six. Nepal defeated Hong Kong and failed to make it to the next stage but the win kept their ODI status hopes alive. Khadka described the ODI status as the “biggest achievement in Nepal’s cricket history.” He asked the stakeholders to work together to preserve it for a better future. Khadka also stressed the need of a professional set-up to move forward.

Head Coach Jagat Tamata has already warned the team against getting complacent. Tamata said the big question remained how they should move forward with the ODI status to preserve it. He laid emphasis on having a new structure with the inclusion of two-day and four-day tournaments. The concerned ministry should also develop well-equipped infrastructure to fully cash in on the ODI status. One of the biggest issues that concerns the former captains of Nepal national teams is to come to a common platform, leaving egos of the governing body to bring stability in cricket and take full benefit out of the ODI status. Nepal finished eighth in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe at a time when the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) remains suspended by the world cricket governing body. Former captains – LB Chhetri, Pawan Agrawal, Raju Khadka and Binod Das – said they feared that the ODI status, which became possible due to hard work of the players, would go in vain like the T20 international status four years ago in the absence of the cricket governing body.

CAN has remained suspended due to leadership row between the two factions. It should be given a new lease of life settling the court case. The ministry should also play a pro-active role to form a new governing body. Nepal has earned the ODI status, which is the biggest opportunity to move forward and become a Test-playing nation in a decade to come. Stability in the cricket governing body is the need of the hour. Due to the absence of the governing body, Nepal has missed opportunities to organise regional-level cricket tournaments which are major platforms to hunt budding talents in cricket. Cricket is one of the sports that have earned name and fame for the country, and we should not let such opportunity slip out of the hands just because of the disputes in CAN. The new minister does not have the luxury of wasting any time to address the anomalies seen in the cricket board. The row must be settled amicably.

Pregnancy loss

Pregnancy loss is surprisingly becoming a common occurrence. According to Nepal Demographic Health Survey 2016, nine per cent of pregnancies in the country resulted in miscarriages. Around seven per cent of women visiting the gynaecology department of the Manmohan Memorial Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu were found to have miscarriages. The causes of miscarriages could be genetic, metabolic, abnormal uterine structures, infection and hormone problems, among others. Doctors say rough driving during the first trimester and heavy lifting also could lead to pregnancy loss.

According to the doctors, women suffering miscarriages usually report to the hospital in the last stage. Many cases of pregnancy loss usually go unreported. The emotional and physical impact of miscarriage is still not widely understood. Expecting women should go for regular check-ups during pregnancy. The government must improve antenatal care to reduce the risk of stillbirths, pregnancy complications and miscarriages. Pregnant women must get the right health care at the right time so as to prevent pregnancy loss. There should also be awareness campaigns for families about the benefits of regular visits to the hospitals by the expecting mothers.