Kathmandu, February 16:

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) felicitated the ACC U-17 Elite Cup winning team today.

The Nepali U-17 cricket team beat Malaysia in the Elite Cup final held here from February 4-12. The 14-member team along with coaches Roy Luke Dias and Manjoor Alam Khan were handed over Rs 15,000 each. CAN vice-president and Baluwatar Cricket Academy President Upendra Prasad Bhattarai also presented Rs 24,000 to the team.

“The Elite Cup win carries a great significance as it was the last edition of the age-group,” said Nepali team skipper Prithu Baskota. Speaking on the occasion, CAN president Binay Raj Pandey credited the team for fighting spirit which helped them earn the international honour. The National Sports Council Member Secretary Jeevan Ram Shrestha termed the cricketers as “national pride”.

“The continuous success of Nepali cricket has made us believe that it has a great future,” said the Member Secretary.

“We need to have a new and better approach to guide the Nepali cricket to a greater heights,” added Shrestha. Shrestha also assured to put in every effort to help cricket.