The women’s national cricket team of Nepal made history by making it to the Women’s T20
World Cup Global Qualifiers for the first time.

They finished second in the recently concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers held in Thailand ,following their defeat to the hosts in the final game of the Super three stage .

As winners and runners up Thailand and Nepal advanced to the Global Qualifiers round to join eight teams to duke it out for four available spots for the final ICC Women’s T20 World championship round respectively.

To be fair and not to take away any credit from Team Nepal’s success,luck favored them when the Hong Kong vs Bahrain tie was rained out. As a result,both teams were awarded a point each.

Nepal and Hong Kong were tied on 5 points ,however,the former reached the Super three stage based on a higher number of wins.

They made the most out of the luck in the crucial fixture against the United Arab Emirates in the super three stage.

They delivered the result when it mattered most much to everyone’s relief.They played sensible cricket by bowling, batting and fielding consistently throughout the match.

Bowler Manisha Upadhyaya stole the limelight in the crucial game by scalping four wickets and restricting the opposition to 114 runs for seven wickets in the allocated 20 overs.Kabita Kunwar also made a handy contribution,taking two wickets .

Given Nepal’s batting vulnerability,114 was a competitive and challenging total and they had to bat rock solid .

In the run chase they found themselves in a spot of bother after they were reduced to 62/4.However,the team’s most reliable and experienced batters skipper Indu Barma and Rubina Chhetri ensured victory for the team by sharing a valuable 37 run partnership. Barma remained unbeaten on 30,while Chhetri chipped in 23.

Going forward to the championship round Nepal will have to undertake impactful preparations to make their presence felt.

There is plenty of room for improvement technically on all fronts of the game.The team’s batting which is the weakest link must improve by miles.

The players have to develop a positive mindset, commit to work on their shortcomings and play to their potential.

The qualification success is an important achievement and clearly underlines the potential of our women cricketers.

They have been working extremely hard,putting their hearts and souls into the game to reach where they are today,over the years.

It’s a special achievement,and a special moment for the team.They deserve our salute.Indeed this is a moment of celebration!

Without a shred of doubt women cricket in Nepal is on the rise despite challenges faced by cricketers for a long period of time.

There is a need for a strong revamped and meaningful structure for domestic cricket,coupled with improved facilities, quality coaching,adequate financial support,and greater international exposure.

Let us not forget that women cricket received negligible attention, funding,opportunities and resources for decades. And it was never a priority for the cricket body.

Consequently,the growth and development of women’s cricket stagnated and was on the back burner for the most part. Unsurprisingly,Nepal lagged far behind the rest of the world.

There still remains a lot to be done when it comes to upliftment of the game in an effective and systematic manner. What is desperately needed is a strong, sustained domestic support asystem and supportive environment for the overall development of women’s cricket .

By Sushil Thapa, Fairfax,VA