Nepal looks forward to a thrilling year in cricket

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The country looks to build on unprecedented success in key 2014 international tournaments.

Nepal hopes to cap its most glorious year in cricket with a strong showing in its first appearance at the 2014 ICC Twenty20 World Cup starting in March in Bangladesh.

 Nepalese national cricket team members join a Kathmandu victory rally on December 4th, 2013 after qualifying for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup. [Prakash Mathema/AFP]

Nepalese national cricket team members join a Kathmandu victory rally on December 4th, 2013 after qualifying for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup. [Prakash Mathema/AFP]

Sharad Vesawakar's thrilling last ball win over Hong Kong in an ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier match in Abu Dhabi on November 27th, 2013 both catapulted the team to the World Cup and legions of its fans into euphoria.

"It was one of the happiest moments of my life," Vesawakar told Khabar South Asia. "I am looking forward to the newer and tougher challenges along with opportunities this victory has brought to us."

Nepal, one of eight countries in the Group Stage, will initially play in Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Fans are excited no matter what: they mobbed players during the December 4th victory rally in Kathmandu.

"It is the greatest achievement of Nepal in any sport. I have been following Nepalese cricket since my childhood and it was always a dream to see Nepal in the World Cup. It's a dream come true for every Nepalese," spectator Bishal Kafle told Khabar.

Raja Dhungana, a Masters candidate in Public Health in Dhaka, eagerly anticipates the World Cup.

"I will definitely not miss this glorious opportunity of watching Nepal play the World Cup. I will undoubtedly book the tickets for Chittagong," he said. "There are about 5,000 Nepali students here in Bangladesh and we are going to rock the stadium."

The victory also reinvigorated the government's interest in promoting and growing the sport.

"One major achievement is that the government has become proactive regarding the development of cricket. It has asked the association to come up with the short-term and long-term strategies for the development of Nepali," Surya Thapaliya, advisor to Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), told Khabar.

Nepal will also participate in the 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand beginning January 13th, which according to Thapaliya, is even more important as the top two teams advance to the 2015 Cricket World Cup. The top four earn One Day International (ODI) status, eligible to play in and host ODI matches.

"If we get the status, it will be a huge achievement for us. It will mean more investment for Nepali cricket by national and international agencies," Thapaliya said. "We will be able to build a new stadium, enhance our team's capabilities and retain the government's priority for cricket."