Nepal to host ACC U-17 Elite Cup and Other good news
Posted by Prabin the सोभित on बुधवार, मार्च 26, 2008
THE KATHMANDU POST, 2008-03-26
KATHMANDU, March 25 – Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has confirmed Nepal as the host for the ACC U-17 Elite Cup 2008 scheduled for November, Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) informed at a press meet on Tuesday.
“It was a crucial decision because Kuwait was also being considered,” CAN President Binaya Raj Pandey, who participated in the meeting of the ACC Development Committee last week in Pakistan, said. “Questions over facilities at our ground were raised but I assured them of improvement in facilities.”
Pandey also informed that the next edition of ACC U-15 Elite Cup will be played between 12 teams after no teams were relegated after the fiasco that saw eight teams disqualified over age-verification. “ACC will develop a pre-tournament age-verification protocol within a month and no such event will happen in the future events during the tournament,” he added.
Pandey also said that CAN’s plans to ‘emphasise on playing with better teams’ is taking shape after nearing agreement with Bangladesh and positive response from Pakistan. “With Bangladesh, we are finalizing a three-year exchange program,” he said. “While Pakistan has proposed a program for junior, academy and A teams.”
“I also talked with Sri Lankan cricket board president Arjuna Ranatunga, who said he will look into things for supporting Nepali cricket,” Pandey said adding that he was flying to Delhi on Friday to meet Arun Jaitley, a member of BCCI and the president of Delhi District Cricket Association, to look into possibilities of tour programs.
During the program, CAN General Secretary Tanka Paneru said that Bhaktapur would not host any matches of the upcoming Springwood One-Day National League Cricket Tournament. “Engineering Ground, which was initially unavailable, is now available, so it will host two matches scheduled for Bhaktapur,” he said.
Paneru also said that the total budget of the final round of the national league is estimated at Rs 1,050,653. “The players will be paid Rs 300 as daily allowance, a 50 percent increment from the last year,” he said. CAN has also formed an organizing committee under Upendra Bhattarai and three committees for the event – technical (co-ordinator Naresh Shrestha), ground management (co-ordinator Binod Raj Rajbhandari) and press and publicity (co-ordinator Diwakar Ghale).
Meanwhile, Samson Jung Thapa and Raju Khadka left for Lahore, Pakistan for the ACC Level 2 Coaching Course scheduled for March 26-31, CAN said in a release.
A Nepali passion for cricket 
Prabin the सोभित said
The Himalayan News
Kathmandu, March 25:
The ACC Development Committee meeting has confirmed Nepal as the hosts of the ACC Under-17 Elite Cup later this year.
“Kuwait were also in the run, but I requested the Asian Cricket Council and the Kuwaiti officials to award the opportunity to Nepal. I asked the officials to give a chance to erase the Under-15 fiasco,” said Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) President Binay Raj Pandey, who took part in the meeting held in Pakistan from March 19-21. The ACC had expelled eight out of 10 teams from the ACC U-15 Elite Cup held in Kathmandu earlier this year accusing them of fielding over-age players.
Pandey also said that the ACC officials complained of the poor facilities available at the venues in Nepal.“I have promised them better facilities this time and we have started the construction works at TU, Lab School and Birendra Sainik Awasiya Mahavidyalaya grounds,” he added.
Other achievements that Nepal got during the meeting, according to Pandey, is the exchange programme with Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. “We are in the final stage of three-year exchange programme contract with Bangladesh, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka are positive in the move,” he said. “Pakistan are ready to send ‘A’ team, junior and Academy teams to Nepal,” he said. Pandey also said that he was going to meet President of Delhi Cricket Association Arun Jetley on March 29 to discuss the exchange programme with the board.