Kathmandu, October 30

Sahas Sports Pvt Ltd and Cricket Association of the Blind, Nepal inked the three-year kits sponsorship deal for the men’s national cricket team for blind.

Sahas Sports Managing Director Janak Neupane and CAB-Nepal President Pawan Ghimire signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) amid a function here today. As per the agreement, Sahas Sports will provide the CAB-Nepal with kits for national team’s international participation.

Currently, the Nepali team is preparing for the fifth Blind Cricket World Cup in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates from January 10-25, next year. Sahas Sports will provide the 21 members of the squad with two-set match jerseys and one set for training apart from track suits and other gears.

CAB-Nepal President Ghimire said the deal was priceless. “Generally we do not get support like this and we are thankful to Sahas Sports for the generous help extended to the CAB-Nepal,” said Ghimire. “I hope the agreement with Sahas Sports will spread positive messages for others as well.”

Ghimire also said the team was suffering from the lack of grounds to practice for the international tournaments. “We have already participated in the Blind T20 World Cup twice and Blind Asia Cup once but we do not have proper training grounds. We have already proved our potential by defeating the likes of New Zealand and South Africa, and we can do better if provided with proper facilities,” added Ghimire.

Sahas Sports President Neupane said he was motivated to sponsor the blind team as there was not much support from others. “The deal cannot be converted into monetary value. We did it because we were interested in helping the blind cricket. We will provide jerseys to the team in every international tournament participated in by Nepal,” he added.

Skipper Kirtan Shrestha Duwal said Nepal could come up with better results if the team gets proper training. “The expectations from the team have increased and we are capable of producing better results. But we do not have basic facilities,” said Duwal.

Meanwhile, national cricket team skipper Paras Khadka said the blind cricket team had been doing well despite getting less facility. “The team has set examples by producing results even with less facilities,” said Khadka. “He also suggested the CAB-Nepal to use Tribhuvan University Stadium for training purpose,” he added. Similarly, national team head coach Jagat Tamatta said he was ready to support the team. “I can provide coaches and I am always available if the team needs my help,” he added.