Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 20:

Nepali cricket team today left for Singapore to play a three-day match under the ACC Fast Track Countries Tournament to be held there from April 22-24.

Jai Kumar Nath Shah, president of Cricket Association of Nepal, bade farewell to the players and officials. CAN treasurer Sashi Subedi is the team manager and Mankaji Shrestha is his deputy.

Arun Kumar Aryal will look after the coaching department in the absence of Roy Luke Dias, who is in the UAE with Under-15 players. This is the first time Dias is not with Nepali team since he took over in August 2001.

Binod Das, who replaced Raju Khadka during Nepal’s unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign earlier this year in Malaysia, will lead the side for the match.

Khadka, who led Nepal to ACC Trophy final in Singapore in 2001 qualifying for the Asia Cup to be participated in by four Asian Test-playing nations — India, Pakista, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — along with UAE, has been overlooked by the selectors.

Experienced wicketkeeper Manoj Katuwal, who was dropped for the World Cup qualifying campaign and called in the 23-member camp, was also not picked in favour of Manoj Baisya.

Nepal will take on the UAE in the next three-day match to be held in Kathmandu from May 7-9.

SQUAD: Binod Das (captain), Shakti Prasad Gauchan (vice captain), Manjeet Shrestha, Raju Basnet, Unil Shrestha, Raj Kumar Pradhan, Dipendra Chaudhary, Mehboob Alam, Paras Khadka, Paresh Lohani, Mahesh Chhetry, Dhirendra Chand, Kanishka Chaugain, Manoj Baisya (wicketkeeper).