Dhurmus Suntali Foundation to construct international cricket stadium

The Dhurmus Suntali Foundation is going to construct an international cricket stadium in Bharatpur Metropolis in Chitwan District, though big infrastructure project construction should be the key responsibility of the government.
Dhurmus Suntali Foundation and Bharatpur Metropolitan City today signed an agreement – in the presence of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and chairman of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', apart from leaders from various political parties – on the land acquisition for the construction of the Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium at a function held at City Hall in the capital.
The social organisation – founded by comedian couple Sitaram Kattel 'Dhurmus' and Kunjana Ghimire 'Suntali' – has claimed that the international stadium will cost around Rs 3 billion and will be completed within 2 years.
According to the agreement, the international cricket stadium will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 3 billion in Bharatpur-16, Dhurmus said, adding that the stadium is expected to be completed in next two and half years and handed over to Bharatpur Metropolis. "The funds will be collected from Nepalis at home and abroad to construct the stadium."
The cricket stadium will be built in an area of 20 Bighas and six Katthas land – which is now in the name of Tribhuvan University and being occupied by Agriculture and Forestry University – the foundation informed, urging everyone to help provide support to construct the international cricket stadium.
Nepal ranks at the 15th position in the ICC ODI ranking, though Nepal is suspended by the ICC at present and ineligible to hosts ODI matches in home. The maiden ODI series win with UAE – with couple of world records – yesterday is a moral and confidence booster for the team but the government has been not able to provide basic infrastructure for the development of cricket in the country. But the initiative by the Dhurmus Suntali Foundation has encouraged the cricketers.

Paras hits ton as Nepal beat UAE to secure maiden ODI series win

Skipper Paras Khadka smashed a debut One Day International (ODI) ton and propelled his team to a maiden overseas series win over UAE – after defeating the third and final match of the three-match – at the ICC Academy Oval in Dubai today. Khadka hit 115 runs in just 109 balls to become the first ever Nepali batsman to record ODI ton before being trapped leg before wicket (lbw) by Qadeer Ahmed in 38.5 overs.
Nepal opted to field first – after winning the toss – and restricted the hosts to a formidable score of 254/6 in the 50 overs. Nepal successfully followed its first ever ODI target of 254 runs – also the highest – in 44.4 overs losing six wickets to clinch the series.
Nepal – following the impossible looking score – clinched the victory by four wickets with thirty-two balls to spare. Khadka was out in lbw of Qadeer Ahmed’s spin delivery in 115 runs – with fifteen fours – off 109 balls, when the team still needed 40 runs for victory, which looked like the game went out of Nepal's hand.
But the lower order batsman Sompal Kami took away the game with a towering six to register the historic win. Sompal Kami and Aarif Sheikh combined for 40 unbeaten runs for the seventh wicket to take the team home.
UAE team was once reeling at 47/4 at one stage before the lower middle order steadied their innings, and posted a 254/6 in the 50 overs. Shaiman Anwar top-scored for the hosts on 87 runs – off just 70 balls with nine fours and two sixes – whereas Mohammad Boota remained 59 not out to pose a decent total on board.
Karan KC and Paras Khadka took two wickets each, whereas Sompal Kami and Sandeep Lamichanne claimed one each.
While batting Nepal lost its first wicket in 4.3 overs, with Binod Bhandari at 9 runs – caught by Ghulam Shabber off Mohammad Naveed – but skipper Paras Khadka and opener Gyanendra Malla stood firm on the crease and stabilised the inning. Malla scored 31 runs – off 35 balls – and debutant Sandeep Jora contributed 19 runs. Likewise, world record holder young batsman Rohit Kumar Paudel contributed 16 runs.
UAE’s Imran Haider, Ashfaq Ahmed took two wickets, whereas Mohammad Naveed and Qadeer Ahmed chipped in with a wicket each.
Earlier, Nepal had lost the opening match with three wickets, whereas won the second match by a wide margin of 145 runs to level the series 1-1. Skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel – in the second match – rewrote history as the youngest batsman to hit ODI fifty runs by overpowering Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and India’s Sachin Tendulkar’s record.
After gaining ODI status – after world cup qualifying games in Zimbabwe – Nepal toured to the Netherlands before the Gulf states for three ODIs and three T20 Internationals. They played a 1-1 draw in the Europe tour.
Though, Nepal – at present – is suspended by the ICC and is ineligible to hosts ODI matches in home, it ranks 15th in the ICC ODI ranking. The ODI series with UAE has also helped Nepali cricket a moral and confidence booster with couple of world records.

Paudel beats Tendulkar, Afridi to become youngest man to hit ODI 50

Nepali all-rounder Rohit Kumar Paudel – at 16 years and 146 days old – has become the youngest male batsman in history to register a 50 in One-Day International cricket – writing a new history at the ICC Academy in Dubai – after hitting 55 runs off 58 balls against UAE today. After losing an opener yesterday, Nepal bounced back today to register a thumping victory over UAE.
With a remarkable batting display Paudel has beaten the likes of legendary Indian batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi.
The previous record was set by Afridi, who registered 102 runs against Sri Lanka aged 16 years and 217 days in Nairobi in 1996. The other international record of a half-century in a Test Match was set by Indian cricket legend Tendulkar, who registered 59 runs against Pakistan at the age of 16 years and 213 days in Pakistan in 1989.
The right-hand batsman said that he raised his bat only after Karan KC told him that he hit a half-century.
Afridi had converted his half-century into a 37-ball 102 which remained as the fasted ODI century for a long time. Likewise, Indian star cricketer Tendulkar had made 59 runs against Pakistan in test cricket at the age of 16 years and 213 days.
Paudel’s 55 runs was Nepal’s highest score in the second ODI against UAE, which Nepal began 1-0 down in the series and finished on 242/9 after winning the toss and electing to bat.
Right hand batsman Paudel of Nawalparasi was 15 years and 335 days old when he made his ODI debut against the Netherlands in August last year, making him the fourth youngest man. Paudel first caught attention for hitting India fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti for 24 runs in five balls in a U19 ODI in 2016.
The overall international record is held by South Africa’s Johmari Logtenburg, who hit both Women’s Test and ODI fifties as a 14-year-old.