Nepal Cricket Team’s squad for the Asian Games 2023 has been revealed on Friday. The 19th edition of the Asian Games is set to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8.
Regular captain Rohit Paudel will lead the 15-man squad. As the T20 format will be played, Avinash Bohara, Binod Bhandari and Bibek Yadav have been called back to the side. Meanwhile, the ODI team’s regular members, Gyanendra Malla, Bhim Sharki and Aarif Sheikh, miss out on the squad.
Avinash is referred as the death bowling specialist, whilst Binod Bhandari is a hard hitter and backup wicketkeeper. Young Bibek Yadav is an all-rounder who can play the big shots.
Nepal last played a T20I match against Kenya in August 2022. As they are set to host the T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier, the country is trying to host West Indies as well.
Cricket has featured at the Asian Games twice – in 2010 and 2014. The sport was left out of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. The matches in the upcoming edition of the Asian Games have been accorded international status by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Both men’s and women’s cricket will be played in the T20 International (T20I) format.
Nepal’s Squad: Rohit Paudel (C), Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Sandeep Jora, Binod Bhandari, Dipendra Singh Airee, Bibek Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Pratish GC, Lalit Rajbanshi, Avinash Bohara.
