Paras Khadka left speechless after Nepal enter World Cup Qualifiers

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Nepal skipper Paras Khadka was left 'speechless' after his team came back from the brink of defeat to book a place at next month's World Cup-qualifying tournament. Though Nepal have never reached the competition before, yesterday's win surely extended their rise towards cricket's upper echelons.

Nepal, whose journey on the cricket field has been one of the most beautiful stories in the game, took a step forward as they pulled off a nerve-wracking one-wicket victory against Canada at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek to secure the first spot on the ICC World Cricket Division Two league table, which helped them qualify for the upcoming 2019 World Cup Qualifiers.

However, the journey was not at all simple for the cricketing backwaters. The Southern Asian nation wereat the brink of a defeat after being reduced to 144 for 9 in 42.1 overs in a chase of 195. However, Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane, who was recently purchased by Delhi Daredevils in the IPL auction had different plans in their mind and with a composed head, led the team to a historic victory. After watching the thrilling encounter, Khadka, whose name features prominently in any discussion on Nepal cricket, unabashedly dropped a tear or two. 

"I can't speak, the last wicket made 50 odd runs, cricket is just a winner today," Khadka said, reported AFP.

"I feel for Canada, one in a million times you would win those games. Things have just worked out for us, we have been working so hard for all these years and eventually, it has happened for us. I am speechless."

Though this is Nepal’s first foray into the World Cup qualifier, the win has been a reaffirmation of their rise, after having played in the Division Five league alongside the cricketing starters like Fiji and Singapore as recently as 2010.

"The fans back home are one of our biggest inspirations and we always thank them. We want to do well, and help Nepal cricket grow," Khadka added.

Apart from Nepal, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will also compete in Zimbabwe for a place at next year's tournament after edging out Namibia by 19 runs.

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