Kathmandu, October 26

The Cricket World Cup trophy arrived here today and was taken to Swoyambhu temple, an UNESCO World Heritage site, for photo shoot in the evening.

In a brief ceremony, the International Cricket Council officials unpacked the trophy and placed it in front of the Monkey Temple for a photo shoot.

The trophy, in its maiden tour of Nepal, will remain in the Himalayan country for four days and it will be taken to Pokhara on Saturday where it will be kept at the Pokhara Stadium — the venue for the ongoing Pokhara Premier League — for public viewing apart from scenic photography and interviews at the Fewa Lake.

The trophy will then be taken to Chandragiri Hills through cable car for scenic photography and interviews with players on Sunday morning. “We are also planning to have a meet and greet programme with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on its way back from Chandragiri Hills,” said Bhawana Ghimire, former CEO of Cricket Association of Nepal and ICC’s local representative in Nepal. “We have a programme hosted by Hublot’s regional retail partner at Durbarmarg on Sunday evening.”

The 60cm tall and 11kg trophy will be kept for public display at Basantapur Durbar Square, also the UNESCO World Heritage site, on Monday before it is taken to India. Under the World Trophy Tour programme of the ICC, the trophy was first taken to Oman from Dubai before it travelled to the United States, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

After the India leg, it will travel to New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. The trophy will finally reach England and Wales — the venue for the 2019 ODI Cricket World Cup — in February next year. The 10-team tournament is slated for May 30 to July 14.

The current trophy is made from silver and gold and features a golden globe held up by three silver columns. The columns, shaped as stumps and bails, represent the three fundamental aspects of cricket — batting, bowling and fielding, while the globe characterises a cricket ball.