I extend my heartiest apprecitation of Birat Raya to give me chance to express my views in my first of Interviews. I am copy pasting the same interview from cricketlok.com. The interview can be found at the link given below
http://www.cricketlok.com/definitely-expect-nepal-play-world-cup-3/
http://www.cricketlok.com/definitely-expect-nepal-play-world-cup-3/
“I definitely expect Nepal to play the World Cup”
Jashanpreet Singh Gill a keen follower of Associate cricket and Admin of the famous facebook page ”Associate and Affiliate cricket” is talking with Birat Raya about the upcoming World Cup Qualifier, Nepal chances on it and future of Nepali cricket.
As a keen follower of Associate cricket, how you are watching this World cup Qualifiers (WCQ) ?
To me this would be the most important WCQ which will decide the future of game in years to come. On one hand we have the traditional nations like Canada, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland fighting for their spots and on other hand we have upcoming nations like Nepal, PNG and UAE very determined to replace them. So to me this is an ultra-important tournament and I will follow each minute of it.
So what kind of result you want from the tournament?
From my heart I would want Nepal and PNG to qualify for the World Cup and if there are 2 more ODI spots (Which ICC is yet to confirm) then I would want Kenya and Scotland to take those spots. But my head also says that replacing Netherlands, UAE and Canada will not be that easy.
Why Nepal & PNG?
Nepal and PNG because it will be good for the game, If I see all the 10 nations then Nepal is hands on ahead of others in Interest of the game. The Playing XI on the ground not only represent the ambition of mere 11 guys but nation as a whole, who would not want such dedicated fan base to be added to the game.PNG also have a big support like Nepal only difference is they are a much smaller in size hence we listen far less comparatively, But the passion is in no way less.
As a supporter of Nepal in this Qualifier, do u think Nepal deserve the place on main tournament?
Well they surely deserve a spot, there is no doubt about it. In fact back in 2012 I have placed bets with my friends that Nepal will be playing in 2015 WC and I see no reason to get back on my bet. But it will not be easy though, they will have to overcome the pace and Bounce which I feel their batsman struggle against. Although they have found 1 young bowler in World T20 Qualifier but still pace attack remains an area of big concern. Having said that I have full belief in the coach and am sure he will carry them to World Cup.
Our senior team is playing for the first time in NZ & the kind of condition. Compared to other teams, it is going to be more difficult for Nepal. Isn’t it?
Well in 2008 Nepal did very well in similar condition in Jersey except for the loss in Semi Finals against Afghanistan. So I feel it is more of a mental block. As a seam bowler you don’t need to be the quickest but should be able to exploit the conditions. Similarly in batting you don’t need to hit every ball .So overall the challenge for Nepal will be to adapt mentally and have the belief, Rest will follow.
So what should be the strategy of Team Nepal in the tournament?
The Basic requirement is to play the natural game. Nepal traditionally has always been better in ODI compared to T20′s and they should not forget that. Beside that the critical factor would be batting. Batsman should concentrate more on rotating strike and should realize that this is not Subcontinent where you need big score of 250+, even a score of 180+ can be a defendable. I am hoping that the batsman will be prepared to face the bouncers and if they succeed on that then nothing else should trouble them. In bowling Spinners will play a crucial role, they are the strength of the team and should find confidence from that. Pace department should focus on swing and bowling in right areas. At the end of the day everything comes down to the basics and team should concentrate on that.
Nepal has been drawn together with Canada, UAE, Hong Kong and
Scotland in group stage, how do you predict the order at the end of it?
Scotland are the team to beat. We must realize that the result here will also be carried forward to Super Six and Netherlands and Scotland are the biggest challengers for that World Cup Spot and the conditions are also on favour of European teams. Beside that I don’t think UAE, HK and Canada will give much trouble. The game against Scotland will decide if Nepal reaches world cup or falls short.
So you are expecting Nepal to play the world cup, can u explain how?
Yes I definitely expect Nepal to play the World Cup. As I already told you that I think Nepal will defeat UAE, Canada and HK at the group Stage and from the other group I expect Netherlands, Kenya and PNG to reach Super Six. Here again I expect Nepal to overcome Kenya and PNG. The critical matches will be against Scots and Dutch. And I am hoping that Nepal will defeat one of them to secure the 2nd place on the tournament.
You are making it so easy.
Well if I have the belief behind the team, it will sound easy and all big things in life are completed in small steps. Hence here too things should be taken on a match by match basis not a tournament as a whole which makes it pretty simple.
Key Performer for Nepal in the tournament?
Well from batting prospective I expect Paras Khadka to be the mainstay and hope Sharad Veshwakar will continue his good form from UAE. Basant Regmi will be critical in bowling and his type of bowling suits the condition. I am also very impressed with Avinash Karn, he has a very good action and will be amazing in New Zealand condition. His left arm action coupled with swing can be deadly like Zaheer Khan used to be for India.
You are the admin of famous page AAC and you have lots of fan in Nepal who follows your information for associate news. Since when you started following Nepali cricket closely & how is the reaction of Nepali fans with you?
Well I always have liked cricket and wants it to be the number one game in the world. I followed Associate Cricket since 1996 when UAE, Netherlands and Kenya played that world cup. Then for many years I was in touch with Associate Cricket through news and internet. Finally in 2011 a friend from Afghanistan asked me to be co-admin of the page Associate and Affiliate Cricket and since then I haven’t looked back. I came in contact with Nepal cricket through Cricket.com.np in 2010 and since have been following Nepali Cricket very closely. In fact the biggest chunk of followers on my page is from Nepal. Nepali fans are passionate and want their team to do well and a place in 2015 World Cup watching their team play against the likes of India, Australia would finally do justice to them. Hence this tournament becomes even more critical for Nepal.
How do you define the behavior of Nepali fans? We are rated on of the worst by international Critics.
Well that is true, they are presently not the best behaved fans but the fans also mature with time. On the other side we should understand that when the country has been suffering from so much in past few years- Coup, Communist Threat, an indecisive Constituent Assembly then sports represents a big hope and passions are bound to flow. However with things getting better and over the time fans will mature. Passionate fans are never bad for the game.
We talked lots of positive stuffs, what if we neither qualify for world cup nor get an ODI status?
Well that will be very bad for the game. As much as I think the game is doing well in the country, CAN have not done a very good job. Not getting World Cup Spot is still understandable but not gaining an ODI status would be highly demoralizing for the team. Nepal known to be Associate Chokers in past can again go back to the old ways and then it will take another 4 or 5 years to get the team back to this level. This could be nightmare for the development of the game in the country.
You are following Nepali cricket closely since 2010, how do you rate the progress and what are things you want to see in future?
Well the rate of progress has been good but the area that concerns me the most is domestic set-up. If CAN wants the team to challenge the likes of Afghanistan and Bangladesh in future they must work on domestic set up. By domestic set up, I mean a Multi-Day Domestic Tournament besides the regular ODI and T20 competition. And it is time for Players to be centrally contracted. Finally a stadium, we have been hearing about Mulpani since 2008 and its 2014 now and still seem no sign of completion. Internationally if Nepal keep doing the goods and get ODI status, team will get good exposure through the tournaments like Inter Continental Cup. So it is the domestic scene where I want to see some action.
We don’t have good infrastructure and if we get ODI status in this situation how will it affect?
That is why I said Mulpani is critical. If Nepal gets an ODI status then they will have to finish it otherwise they will be forced to play the matches abroad which will not be good for the fans and for the development of game. This is for the sleepy administrators at CAN to understand.
Your message for Nepali cricket fans before WCQ?
“Hope for the best and be prepared for the Worst” is the motto that should be applied in walks of life. They should be hopeful of good performance but just in case they miss out still respect the team. They are giving their best on limited resource.
As a keen follower of Associate cricket, how you are watching this World cup Qualifiers (WCQ) ?
To me this would be the most important WCQ which will decide the future of game in years to come. On one hand we have the traditional nations like Canada, Kenya, Netherlands and Scotland fighting for their spots and on other hand we have upcoming nations like Nepal, PNG and UAE very determined to replace them. So to me this is an ultra-important tournament and I will follow each minute of it.
So what kind of result you want from the tournament?
From my heart I would want Nepal and PNG to qualify for the World Cup and if there are 2 more ODI spots (Which ICC is yet to confirm) then I would want Kenya and Scotland to take those spots. But my head also says that replacing Netherlands, UAE and Canada will not be that easy.
Why Nepal & PNG?
Nepal and PNG because it will be good for the game, If I see all the 10 nations then Nepal is hands on ahead of others in Interest of the game. The Playing XI on the ground not only represent the ambition of mere 11 guys but nation as a whole, who would not want such dedicated fan base to be added to the game.PNG also have a big support like Nepal only difference is they are a much smaller in size hence we listen far less comparatively, But the passion is in no way less.
As a supporter of Nepal in this Qualifier, do u think Nepal deserve the place on main tournament?
Well they surely deserve a spot, there is no doubt about it. In fact back in 2012 I have placed bets with my friends that Nepal will be playing in 2015 WC and I see no reason to get back on my bet. But it will not be easy though, they will have to overcome the pace and Bounce which I feel their batsman struggle against. Although they have found 1 young bowler in World T20 Qualifier but still pace attack remains an area of big concern. Having said that I have full belief in the coach and am sure he will carry them to World Cup.
Our senior team is playing for the first time in NZ & the kind of condition. Compared to other teams, it is going to be more difficult for Nepal. Isn’t it?
Well in 2008 Nepal did very well in similar condition in Jersey except for the loss in Semi Finals against Afghanistan. So I feel it is more of a mental block. As a seam bowler you don’t need to be the quickest but should be able to exploit the conditions. Similarly in batting you don’t need to hit every ball .So overall the challenge for Nepal will be to adapt mentally and have the belief, Rest will follow.
So what should be the strategy of Team Nepal in the tournament?
The Basic requirement is to play the natural game. Nepal traditionally has always been better in ODI compared to T20′s and they should not forget that. Beside that the critical factor would be batting. Batsman should concentrate more on rotating strike and should realize that this is not Subcontinent where you need big score of 250+, even a score of 180+ can be a defendable. I am hoping that the batsman will be prepared to face the bouncers and if they succeed on that then nothing else should trouble them. In bowling Spinners will play a crucial role, they are the strength of the team and should find confidence from that. Pace department should focus on swing and bowling in right areas. At the end of the day everything comes down to the basics and team should concentrate on that.
Nepal has been drawn together with Canada, UAE, Hong Kong and
Scotland in group stage, how do you predict the order at the end of it?
Scotland are the team to beat. We must realize that the result here will also be carried forward to Super Six and Netherlands and Scotland are the biggest challengers for that World Cup Spot and the conditions are also on favour of European teams. Beside that I don’t think UAE, HK and Canada will give much trouble. The game against Scotland will decide if Nepal reaches world cup or falls short.
So you are expecting Nepal to play the world cup, can u explain how?
Yes I definitely expect Nepal to play the World Cup. As I already told you that I think Nepal will defeat UAE, Canada and HK at the group Stage and from the other group I expect Netherlands, Kenya and PNG to reach Super Six. Here again I expect Nepal to overcome Kenya and PNG. The critical matches will be against Scots and Dutch. And I am hoping that Nepal will defeat one of them to secure the 2nd place on the tournament.
You are making it so easy.
Well if I have the belief behind the team, it will sound easy and all big things in life are completed in small steps. Hence here too things should be taken on a match by match basis not a tournament as a whole which makes it pretty simple.
Key Performer for Nepal in the tournament?
Well from batting prospective I expect Paras Khadka to be the mainstay and hope Sharad Veshwakar will continue his good form from UAE. Basant Regmi will be critical in bowling and his type of bowling suits the condition. I am also very impressed with Avinash Karn, he has a very good action and will be amazing in New Zealand condition. His left arm action coupled with swing can be deadly like Zaheer Khan used to be for India.
You are the admin of famous page AAC and you have lots of fan in Nepal who follows your information for associate news. Since when you started following Nepali cricket closely & how is the reaction of Nepali fans with you?
Well I always have liked cricket and wants it to be the number one game in the world. I followed Associate Cricket since 1996 when UAE, Netherlands and Kenya played that world cup. Then for many years I was in touch with Associate Cricket through news and internet. Finally in 2011 a friend from Afghanistan asked me to be co-admin of the page Associate and Affiliate Cricket and since then I haven’t looked back. I came in contact with Nepal cricket through Cricket.com.np in 2010 and since have been following Nepali Cricket very closely. In fact the biggest chunk of followers on my page is from Nepal. Nepali fans are passionate and want their team to do well and a place in 2015 World Cup watching their team play against the likes of India, Australia would finally do justice to them. Hence this tournament becomes even more critical for Nepal.
How do you define the behavior of Nepali fans? We are rated on of the worst by international Critics.
Well that is true, they are presently not the best behaved fans but the fans also mature with time. On the other side we should understand that when the country has been suffering from so much in past few years- Coup, Communist Threat, an indecisive Constituent Assembly then sports represents a big hope and passions are bound to flow. However with things getting better and over the time fans will mature. Passionate fans are never bad for the game.
We talked lots of positive stuffs, what if we neither qualify for world cup nor get an ODI status?
Well that will be very bad for the game. As much as I think the game is doing well in the country, CAN have not done a very good job. Not getting World Cup Spot is still understandable but not gaining an ODI status would be highly demoralizing for the team. Nepal known to be Associate Chokers in past can again go back to the old ways and then it will take another 4 or 5 years to get the team back to this level. This could be nightmare for the development of the game in the country.
You are following Nepali cricket closely since 2010, how do you rate the progress and what are things you want to see in future?
Well the rate of progress has been good but the area that concerns me the most is domestic set-up. If CAN wants the team to challenge the likes of Afghanistan and Bangladesh in future they must work on domestic set up. By domestic set up, I mean a Multi-Day Domestic Tournament besides the regular ODI and T20 competition. And it is time for Players to be centrally contracted. Finally a stadium, we have been hearing about Mulpani since 2008 and its 2014 now and still seem no sign of completion. Internationally if Nepal keep doing the goods and get ODI status, team will get good exposure through the tournaments like Inter Continental Cup. So it is the domestic scene where I want to see some action.
We don’t have good infrastructure and if we get ODI status in this situation how will it affect?
That is why I said Mulpani is critical. If Nepal gets an ODI status then they will have to finish it otherwise they will be forced to play the matches abroad which will not be good for the fans and for the development of game. This is for the sleepy administrators at CAN to understand.
Your message for Nepali cricket fans before WCQ?
“Hope for the best and be prepared for the Worst” is the motto that should be applied in walks of life. They should be hopeful of good performance but just in case they miss out still respect the team. They are giving their best on limited resource.
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