KATHMANDU: Breaking all the stereotypes, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) began the preparations for the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division-V slated for February next year in Kathmandu.

This is the first time CAN have organised the camps for the players with months of time remaining for the tournament. Earlier, the CAN were criticised of the short-term preparation for the international tournaments.

The international cricket’s governing body, International Cricket Council (ICC), have provided Nepal with the opportunity to host the first ICC tournament in consideration to the success of the ACC tournaments and the enthusiasm of cricket in Nepal.

Nepal will take on the United States, Fiji, Jersey, Singapore and Bahrain in the Division-V tournament, which will send top two teams to the Division-IV. The WCL is the road to the World Cup 2015. Singapore and Bahrain qualified for the Division-V after they made to the finals of WCL Division-VI held in Singapore in August.

CAN issued circular to all the six regions to hold the training camps at their respective areas so as to focus on the physical fitness of the players. “The camps in the regions are organised to focus on the physical fitness of the cricketers” said CAN President Binaya Raj Pandey.

Pandey also revealed that the association instructed the regional cricket development committees to hold the camp because of the pressure from the players and team coach Roy Luke Dias. “We organised the camps upon the requests from the national players and with team coach Dias complaining of wastage of his time for the fitness of the players during the camps,” Pandey said.

Pandey also said it was a great challenge for them to hold the closed camps. “Over the period of time since I stepped in as the CAN President, I have seen dissatisfaction in the cricketers regarding the preparation time for the international tournaments. Despite the budget constraints, we managed the closed camps for the players,” he added.

The players in the five different regions — Region No-I (Biratnagar), No-III (Kathmandu), No-IV (Bhairahawa), No-V (Nepalgunj) and No-VI (Baitadi) — are continuing their practice at their respective regions while the only two players from Region No-II (Birgunj), Binod Das and Sanjam Regmi, are training along with the players of Kathmandu.

The players practising at the respective camps are provided with the daily allowances of Rs 100 and cricket kits, said Regional Cricket Development Committee (Region No-III) President Upendra Prasad Bhattarai. He said the players would join the central camps after Dashain.

The camps for the players don’t only aim at the WCL Division-V cricket since there is an another tournament before that. Nepal will travel to Dubai to participate in the ACC Twenty20 Cricket Tournament slated from November 22-30. A total of 24 players have already been called for the closed camp at the Tribhuvan University Stadium after Dashain.