Cricket: Nepal’s Gen-Z Sport Delights Again

Devendra Subedi

Nepal’s third ICC T20 World Cup qualification, that came in some style in the otherwise jinxed venue of Al Amerat in Muscat, Oman, brings immense delight not only to the award-winning Nepali cricket followers around the world but also to the common people.

The back-to-back qualification, given the hard-earned one for the 2024 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, comes at a time when the country is trying to rise from the ashes of the devastation in the aftermath of the youth uprising of September 8. Common people are yet to have the hopes for stable governance instilled with the political future course still unclear.

This time around the need of unity is to bridge the generation gap and not the ethnic, political or cultural gaps within the politically active same interest group. Many a times, the second diversity is either inculcated through political doctrines or is the outcome of self-awareness and awakening. But the revolt of the youths, popularly known as the Gen Z, has exposed the massive gap in the political understanding between generations.

This gap looks so wide that the lynchpins of the earlier ruling generation can no longer raise their head against the popular mandate of the youths. At a time when the ruled section of the ousted generation seemed reluctant to stand for the desire to see a prosperous nation through good governance, the youths succeeded in overthrowing the septuagenarians within the very unlikely duration of 24 hours.

Your indifference towards the motherland should not spoil the future of the Gen Alphas and the rest who might not have enough space beyond the boundaries of this nation.

Back to cricket, amid the despair, finding a ray of hope in the sport is what people see. They at least cheered whole heartedly as the team deservedly booked its place in the T20 World Cup for the third time. Even the festivities of Dashain have not been so joyous this time around with people celebrating it amid insecurity, apprehension and doubt about personal safety and security.  

Amid this despair the national men’s cricket team, comprising mainly of Gen Z members, gave the delight. The Al Amerat ground in Oman, historically, has not been the luckiest of the venues for Nepal. The wound of losing the semifinal match against the UAE in the 2022 T20 World Cup Global Qualifiers at the same venue was haunting the team.

Nepal cricket team’s success was not an overnight success like the Gen Z revolt but it definitely reflects the sentiments of the new generation. Cricket is definitely a new sport in the country that had been ruled by football enjoying almost a century old legacy. The rise of Nepali cricket not necessarily should come at the cost of Nepali football. But what difference can able leadership in governing a sport can make is best exemplified by the two associations in Nepal.

While the Gen Z sport, cricket that still needs finetuning of the domestic structure, makes strides at the global stage knocking the doors for the next full ICC membership, football lovers, including national players, are fearing the game is nose diving in the country. Even the national football team comprises of mostly Gen Z age group but the difference is in the administrative leadership of the sport.

Your indifference towards the motherland should not spoil the future of the Gen Alphas and the rest who might not have enough space beyond the boundaries of this nation.

The rise of former captain Paras Khadka in cricket administration like the rise of Gen Z in Nepal’s politics has changed the complexion of the game within a year. The success of Nepal Premier League NPL is a story world cricket’s governing body is sharing around the globe. The very first edition of the domestic franchised based cricket generated revenue around a billion according to Khadka though some of the procedural aspects of the event have been questioned.

On the other hand, its has been more than 800 days Dasharath Stadium is awaiting the next match of the country’s top tier A Division league. This reminds me of the state of the iconic stadium which has been banned by FIFA and AFC to host international matches. All Nepal Football Association ANFA might know the actual reason why the stadium has been suspended but it does not even dare to explain the issue forget about lobbying to lift the ban.

Dissecting financially, ANFA is far stronger than cricket in Nepal like it is globally. But the difference again lies in the percentage of domestically generated money. While cricket association runs on a meager budget of around half a billion, ANFA’s annual budget is well over one billion.     

If cricket is the Gen Z sport in Nepal, football’s legacy and popularity remain deep in the mind of sports loving Nepalis. All it needs is a revamp in the administrative set up. For the time being, the search for the Paras Khadka of Nepali football is on.    

Cricket has always been the panacea in moments of despair brought in by either ideological, political, cultural, ethnic or like this time generational differences. If the team’s success under the leadership of one of the youngest members of the side, Rohit Poudel, can be euphoric for the nation, why not the Gen Zs.     

Your indifference towards the motherland should not spoil the future of the Gen Alphas and the rest who might not have enough space beyond the boundaries of this nation.