CAN elections set for next week

Kathmandu, September 16

The International Cricket Council and National Sports Council today agreed to hold the elective general assembly of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) on September 27-28 in Kathmandu.

After completing the elections of 38 districts and six provinces, the Independent Committee formed by the ICC had announced the elective general assembly of CAN for September 20-21 before the NSC instructed it to stop the elections programme. The assembly came under cloud after the NSC accused the Independent Committee of not following the required process of taking permission from the sports governing body, publishing 21-day notice as per the existing law and seeking election committee for the assembly.

The new date was announced after ICC Deputy Chairperson Imran Khawaja and Finance Manager Amar Sheikh met with NSC Member Secretary Ramesh Kumar Silwal this morning. “Everything has been settled now and the elective general assembly of CAN will be held on September 27-28 in Kathmandu,” said Silwal after the meeting. “I will now try my best to get the new executive committee unanimously.”

Silwal also said the ICC was positive towards the Nepali cricket and hoped the membership of CAN would be reinstated in next month’s board meeting. “As per my conversation with the ICC representatives, the world cricket governing body is positive towards the development of cricket in Nepal and I am confident that it will reinstate the CAN Membership from the meeting on October 12-13,” added Silwal, who was the president of the ad hoc committee formed by the NSC after refusing to approve the elected body at a time when the ICC suspended the CAN Membership citing government interference and unfair elections on April 25, 2015.

Silwal said the ICC and NSC would jointly conduct the elections. “The Independent Committee will publish the details of the elective general assembly tomorrow and we will jointly hold the process of the elective general assembly,” he said. “I believe Nepali cricket will come to right track once the new committee takes charge of the CAN.”

ICC Deputy Chairperson Khawaja said the elective general assembly of CAN was the last hurdle towards the reinstatement of membership. “We had a meeting with NSC Member Secretary Silwal and I don’t see any major issues as the Independent Committee has been working towards the reinstatement of Nepal’s suspension to have them back as a member of ICC,” said Khawaja. “And we have the last hurdle in which we are going to have elections to form the executive committee. NSC is part of the panel and today we discussed about the details of holding the elections.”

Khawaja said they would make the presentation about the development to the ICC within 10 days or two weeks of elections. “And the ICC board meeting in October will decide on the motion to reinstate CAN Membership,” he added. “the Independent panel held the district and province elections successfully and I am optimistic that the central committee will also be elected democratically. ICC is comfortable with that process. I think we have basically ticked all the boxes and I am optimistic that the suspension is likely to be lifted although it may be conditional on certain things,” he said.