KATHMANDU: President of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Binay Raj Pandey expressed confidence of completing all the necessary preparation for the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division-V Tournament slated for January next year.

The CAN is using three venues — TU Stadium (Kathmandu), Engineering College (Lalitpur) and Army School (Bhaktapur) grounds — for the six-nation tournament. The four Division-V teams comprising of Nepal, Fiji, the United States and Jersey will be joined by the top two teams from the Division-VI tournament to be held in Singapore. This is the first time Nepal is hosting an ICC event.

“Preparations are underway and I am confident we will be ready in time to host the event,” Pandey told The Himalayan Times. “There should not be any problem although the ICC might ask for better facilities but we are prepared for that,” he said. “We have already started necessary steps towards that direction. We will build a Lord’s-style side screen on the concrete walls at the TU Stadium. We are also planning to build a media centre, a medical room, dining room and toilet,” he added. CAN will spend about Rs 8 million for the infrastructure, he said. Pandey said that the ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has released $300,000 for the infrastructural development.

Pandey also said ICC Development Events Manager Andrew Faichney and ACC Development Manager Bandula Warnapura were scheduled to arrive here in mid-July for the venue inspection. “ACC has asked us to take care of the crowd and we are working out on the ways to deter spectators from invading the grounds,” said Pandey.

He also said the ACC was keen women’s cricket in the region. “The ACC meeting discussed the possibilities of uplifting the women’s cricket and has asked all the member countries to prepare the base for the women’s cricket,” said Pandey.

“We have planned to organise inter-school cricket tournament for girls from next year to bring out talented players,” said the CAN president. He also revealed that Nepal will participate in the 2012 Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.

Five Nepalis get ICC Centenary Award

KATHMANDU: All five Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) nominees received the International Cricket Council Centenary Award recently.

At a meeting in London, the ICC awarded the Nepali officials’ voluntary contribution to the cricket. CAN had nominated Binay Raj Pandey (President), Upendra Prasad Bhattarai (Vice President), Sashi Dutta Pandey (Secretary), Naresh Shrestha (Member) and TB Shah (former Vice President) for the honour following the world cricket governing body’s request to suggest the names of the persons who have worked voluntarily for the development of cricket.

“It’s an honour for all of us,” said CAN president Pandey. Pandey informed the award would be presented within a couple of days. Pandey has served the Nepali cricket at different capacities for 40 years. Bhattarai has been active for the last 15 years and Shah for the last 34 years. Likewise, Sashi Dutta has been serving for the last three decades and Naresh for more

than two and half decades. Former President Jai Kumar Nath Shah is the only Nepali administrator to win the ICC honour — ICC Global Award. Region No 5 (Nepalgunj) was awarded with the Women’s Cricket Initiative Award by the ICC in 2007. — HNS