KATHMANDU: Cricket Association of Nepal secretary Paras Khadka has described Nepal’s second Asia Cup qualification as a proud moment and another valuable opportunity to compete against the continent’s strongest teams.
Nepal secured a place in the 2027 ODI Asia Cup by defeating the United Arab Emirates by 44 runs in the ACC Men's Premier Cup final in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
"We are very proud that our team has qualified for the Asia Cup for a second time and played very good cricket," Khadka said after the team returned to Nepal. "It is a wonderful opportunity. We played India and Pakistan last time and gained that experience. Let’s hope and believe that we will be able to perform better this time."
Nepal made their Asia Cup debut in 2023, facing Pakistan in Multan and India in Pallekele. Although they lost both matches, the tournament gave Nepal's players their first experience of competing against the two former world champions at senior international level.
Khadka congratulated the players, coaching staff and other stakeholders involved in Nepal’s latest qualification. He said the achievement should be evaluated in the context of Nepal winning an Asian Cricket Council tournament outside the country.
"Winning an ACC competition outside Nepal is a major achievement," he said. "Competing in Asian cricket is not easy, but the team performed well and managed to win the tournament again."
Nepal won four of their five matches at the Premier Cup. Their only defeat came against Hong Kong during the group stage before they recovered to beat Oman in the semi-final and the UAE in the final.
Khadka acknowledged that criticism naturally follows poor results but urged supporters to recognise the team’s overall progress and its performance in Malaysia.
"Cricket is a team sport. When you win, everything looks good, and when you lose, criticism is natural," he said. "But overall, the cricket team is doing well. There are areas where we need to work harder in our ODI structure, but for now, we should talk about the positives and the good cricket played in this tournament."
He added that the title had given the team an important morale boost and brought some happiness during a difficult period for the country. Khadka said CAN remained committed to using cricket as a force capable of bringing the nation together.
The national team now faces a busy schedule over the next seven to eight months. Its immediate attention turns to the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, where Khadka believes Nepal have an opportunity to challenge for a medal.
Nepal will then move towards the third season of the Nepal Premier League, further ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 commitments and prospective bilateral series.
"Our schedule until around the next monsoon has largely been prepared,” Khadka said. “The Asian Games provide an important opportunity to win a medal. After that, we have the NPL, ODI cricket and bilateral series. We will share further information as each competition approaches."
