Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra advised BCCI to extend support to Nepal Cricket and help them find their footing in international cricket. He opined that such a move could do a world of good to the neighboring country as they are passionate about cricket and possess potential.
The Nepal cricket team has been performing decently over the past few years and has also qualified for the ongoing Asia Cup for the very first time this year. They started off well in the first match of the tournament by reducing Pakistan to 124/4 after being asked to bowl first.
However, they could not sustain the pressure for longer periods as Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed hit centuries to take Pakistan to a mammoth total of 342/6. Even in the batting department, they showed some promise for a while before skittling out for 104.
The lack of proper international-level cricket exposure has hurt them so far in their maiden Asia Cup campaign. Aakash Chopra tried to give a solution to this issue through his Twitter handle. He wrote:
“India must adopt Nepal cricket and make it their responsibility to bring them up to speed with International Cricket. Send the A team to Nepal. Involve them in India’s domestic structure (I remember India-A playing a full first-class season in Windies). The passion for cricket in Nepal is unparalleled…and they have the potential too.”
Schedule for remaining matches of Asia Cup 2023
group-stage matches:
Match 5: September 4 – India vs Nepal, Group A – Kandy, Sri Lanka, 3:00 pm IST
Match 6: September 5 – Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, Group B – Lahore, Pakistan, 3:00 pm IST
The itinerary for the Super Four stage:
Match 1: September 6 – A1 vs B2 – Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 3:00 pm IST
Match 2: Spetember 9 – B1 vs B2 – R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, 3:00 pm IST
Match 3: September 10 – A1 vs A2 – R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, 3:00 pm IST
Match 4: September 12 – A2 vs B1 – R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, 3:00 pm IST
Match 5: September 14 – A1 vs B1 – R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, 3:00 pm IST
Match 6: September 15 – A2 vs B2 – R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, 3:00 pm IST
The final of Asia Cup 2023 will be played on September 17 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.