Kathmandu, September 2:

The Nepali Under-19 cricket team on Sunday was felicitated for their historical achievement at the recently concluded ACC U-19 Elite Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

The Nepali team led by allrounder Paras Khadka won the fourth consecutive U-19 trophy defeating Afghanistan by 48 runs in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. With the win, Nepal also qualified for the 2008 Youth World Cup. Nepal won other three U-19 titles in 2001, 2003 and 2005 defeating Malaysia in final on all three occasions.

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) awarded 14 players and an assistant coach Jagat Tamata with a purse of Rs 15,000 each. Nepal’s Sri Lankan coach Roy Luke Dias was absent during the occasion as he is on a vacation. The main sponsor of the U-19 team Wai Wai also awarded the team with Rs 100,000.

State Minister for Education and Sports Mohan Singh Rathaur made commitment to award the victorious team with a cash bounty. Minister Rathaur also said that the government will soon release a cash prize for the women cricketers. In their first ever international participation, Nepal finished runner up at the ACC Women’s Tournament in Malaysia on July 18.

Speaking on the occasion, the National Sports Council member secretary Jeevan Ram Shrestha said that cricket is the discipline Nepal can exploit at the international level. “Nepal government should come up with a clear provision to honour and promote such sports,” added Shrestha.

CAN president Binay Raj Pandey termed the U-19 team as a national pride. “The U-19 team has given us more international successes than any other sports,” said Pandey referring not only to their fourth consecutive title but also to their win over Test-playing nations like South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh during the ICC U-19 World Cup between 2002 and 2006. Pandey also thanked coach Dias for his hard work to bring about the success.

Meanwhile, Wai Wai is organising a victory rally here on Monday.