Nepal ‘climbing Everest’ for Test dream

Nepal cricket officials have outlined their intention to play Test cricket in the future and are “climbing Everest” to one day face England in a match at Lord’s.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) are building towards full membership of the International Cricket Council (ICC) which would open the door to playing the longer format.

Nepal are an associate member of the ICC and Test cricket is currently only the preserve of its 12 full members.

Ireland and Afghanistan were the last countries to be given Test status when they were awarded full membership of the ICC in 2017.

CAN secretary Paras Khadka told BBC Sport there is a real appetite in Nepal for the country to play the longer format at international level.

“For anybody who knows Nepal, it is for climbing Everest. Test cricket is a dream but it is going to take time, ” Khadka said.

The appetite for cricket in Nepal, which has a population of 29m, is seen by the huge passionate crowds drawn to matches in the nation’s capital Kathmandu.

Nepal were admitted to the ICC in 1988 and became an associate member in 1990.

But to become a full member of the ICC, Nepal must fulfil criteria defined by the ICC which includes governance, performance, participation and domestic structures, infrastructure and development programmes.

CAN launched its own domestic T20 franchise competition – the Nepalese Premier League – last year and have established a multi-day domestic red-ball competition in preparation for a bid to eventually play Tests.

The governing body has also invested in women’s cricket – including awarding central contracts – and has received government funding to build and upgrade some of its grounds.

Nepal qualified for last year’s T20 World Cup and came within a whisker of beating South Africa, who went on to reach the final.

Under the guidance of new coach Stuart Law they are bidding to reach both the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 50-over version in 2027 and are currently in Glasgow for a tri-series with Scotland and the Netherlands.

The dramatic performances by Nepal during a recent round of Cricket World Cup League 2 matches – part of the qualifying pathway for the next 50-over World Cup – with the same opponents in Dundee underlined their nickname the ‘Cardiac kids’.

Anybody who witnessed their last-ball heroics against Scotland, and the subsequent pitch invasion by passionate Nepalese fans, will testify to its accuracy.

“I guess it’s the way we have played our cricket for the past 10 years or so. Every game seems to go down to the wire,” Nepal skipper Rohit Paudel told BBC Sport.

“So I think the name ‘cardiac kids’ comes because you never know how we can come back from a bad position to win a game. We are always fighting right until the end of a match even when the chance of winning might be small.