KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Sri Lankan coach Roy Luke Dias is almost certain to manage the team only until the end of this year after Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) recently offered him a nine-month extension.

Dias has been looking after the Nepali cricket since September 2001 and his contract was about to expire at the end of this month.

“I want to leave on a winning note,” said Dias on the eve of his team’s departure to Kuwait, where Nepal are scheduled to play the ACC Elite Cup from March 31 to April 9.

Usually the contract extension will be of minimum one year

but the Nepal cricket governing body only offered the coach

the nine-month extension. “I accepted the extension because, after serving the Nepali cricket for so long, it would have looked ugly to make it an issue,” said the disappointed Dias.

CAN’s reluctance in extending the contract has clearly disappointed the former Sri Lankan Test international who guided Nepal to all the ACC age-group tournament triumphs. “It’s not that easy to pack your things in such a short time. I had only five days to decide on the matter. So without making any issue, I accepted the extension.”