Nepal may not be a test playing nation, but the craze for the game is picking up visibly. The media extensively covered and the fan followed the Nepalese team vie in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup games to try to get a fifth success at the championship. However, it had to bow out in the semi-final play off. It hurt cricket lovers back home to see their team suffer, when the hopes were very high. Of course, the case has to be left for the experts to analyse and come up with suggestions and recommendations to boost the performance of the Nepalese squad in the future meets. It was a promising side but results can be unpredictable and that was how it all happened.

The only consolation that the cricket watchers have is that the home grown talents tried their best, with a running streak in the preliminary matches. All this has to be taken in the stride and the shortcomings addressed. It all, however, calls for a more liberal financial investment and infrastructure development. Cricket must receive all the attention that football is receiving if Nepal is to entrench itself in the global cricket map. There should be no shying away from promoting cricket because of the prospects that lie ahead in the form of name and fame of the country, courtesy the cricketers.