Kathmandu, June 10 :

Cricket Association of Nepal felicitated the cricketers that successfully defended the title of the ACC U-15 Cup (Elite Group) cricket tournament held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Nepal drew the final match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) but won the championship on better points. Nepal drew all its matches during the tournament

that was played for the first time in a two-day format requiring two innings a side. Nepal drew against Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia in the group matches while their semi-final (Baharain) and final also ended without a clear result.

In recognition to their tremendous success, CAN awarded the 18-member winning team with a cash prize of Rs 15,000 each. John Players also presented Rs 100,000 to the team.

CAN also provided cricket gears to the cricketers who were declared the man of the match during the tournament.

Minister for Education and Sports Mangal Siddhi Manandhar, acting member secretary of the National Sports Council Bodhraj Niraula and CAN president Jai Kumar Nath Shah among others were present on the occasion.

Former Sri Lankan Test International and Nepali team coach Roy Luke Dias said that the win was the historical one considering the preparation for the tournament.

“The team was too raw but everyone performed really well despite falling short of national or international experience,” Dias said.

Skipper Prithu Baskota, who scored two half centuries along with a knock of 35 in the final against the UAE, said that he and the players gained a huge experience from the tournament.