I was bemused when commentators Roshan Abeysinghe and Mithali Raj said, “It’s good progress for them, given they played their first competitive international match in 2019.” They were impressed by the techniques, shot selections, and attacking intent displayed by the Nepali players. It’s always nice to hear positive comments about Nepali cricket. However, at least three players have been playing for more than 13 years. The veteran left-handed all-rounder was part of the first batch of cricketers in 2007, and Rubina Chhetry has been with the team since 2009. Similarly, Indu Barma made her debut in the early 2010s. Only a few newcomers, like Puja Mahato, Kritika Marasini, and Samjhana Khadka, have joined recently. Most of the team has been around for a while, so naturally, there’s better technique and positive intent in their batting. I’m sure some of the shots played by Samjhana Khadka and Kabita Kunwar in this tournament pleased Nepali fans.
One area where Nepal lacked was the ability to rotate strikes. There were some dead-bat defenses instead of sweep shots against spinners. Also, they seemed unsettled by the pace of both the Pakistani and Indian pacers. Fair enough—they might not have faced similar bowlers before. The dismissals of Samjhana in both games (against India and Pakistan), along with Sita and Kabita’s dismissals against India, were evidence of this.
A positive aspect of the Asia Cup tournament is that the women’s team consistently managed to score close to the 110-run mark on good batting tracks. Not long ago, Nepal struggled even to chase 40 runs, losing seven wickets against Bhutan, though those weren’t flat tracks. Even in the game against Malaysia, which Nepal lost, they managed to score 115. So, you can see the improvement in batting, at least on good batting tracks. Perhaps the rate at which they are progressing is something we can discuss. Apart from the inability to rotate strikes, some of the throws from the boundary were weak and wayward.
Exposure in the Last Few Years
Since 2019, the Nepali women’s team has been getting more exposure. To put things into perspective, they have played more international matches since 2019 than they did between 2007 and 2018. If my data is correct, it’s 63 matches vs. 58. Some of these matches were washed out or ended with no result. In this period (from 2019 up to now), Nepal has played its first-ever bilateral series at home, though they lost 2-3 to Uganda.
Nepal also witnessed its first century in women’s international cricket, with none other than Rubina Chhetry notching an unbeaten 118 against the Maldives in February earlier this year.
Rubina Chhetry and Roshan Bohara went to Sri Lanka in August 2013 to play Division 1 cricket, funded by the ACC based on their performances in the 2013 ACC Women’s Championship. They played for Palink Sports Club Women. Since only two foreign players were allowed to participate at a time, four players (two from Thailand) were rotated.
The introduction of the Women’s Champions League Twenty20 Cricket Tournament was a positive move towards development, but it hasn’t been held since the first edition. Indu Barma led the Chitwan Rhinos to the title, defeating Rubina Chhetry’s Kat Queens Kathmandu.
Sita Rana Magar and Rubina Chhetry have both played in the two editions of the FairBreak Invitational T20. Sita made headlines with her famous “Pushpa” celebration, inspired by an Indian movie. While Rubina struggled in her first match, leaking 20 runs in 2 overs without taking a wicket, she soon showcased her talent by taking 8 wickets in 5 matches, including a 5/11 performance, the only five-wicket haul in the tournament.
Most recently, in May, Nepali cricketers participated in the Malaysian Super Women’s League 2024. Almost everyone earned accolades, but Indu Barma had a quiet tournament. Sita Rana Magar played a crucial role in the Western Wonder Women’s title-winning campaign, earning Player of the Series for her all-round performance. She took 8 wickets in 6 games and was the second-highest wicket-taker, while also smashing 150 runs in 5 innings, making her the third-highest run-getter. Rubina Chhetry hammered 194 runs and was named Batter of the Tournament. She struck two fifties in four innings with a strike rate of 130.20, the highest in the competition. Kabita Kunwar, playing for Southern Jaguars, amassed 153 runs in 6 innings. Meanwhile, Puja Mahato bagged the Bowler of the Tournament award for her 9 wickets in 6 innings at an economy of 3.89. Skipper Indu Barma managed only 76 runs in 4 innings and took 5 wickets.
This shows that the women’s team is finally getting the exposure they’ve long sought. But this brings us back to the earlier question: Are we progressing at the right pace? While Nepal still leads all three contemporary teams—Hong Kong, UAE, and Malaysia—in head-to-head matches, it’s concerning that Malaysia, which had no wins against Nepal until 2021, has now defeated Nepal four times in their last eight matches. This includes a four-wicket win in their most recent meeting, which prevented Nepal from qualifying for the Asia Cup. Nepal only got a wildcard entry, along with Thailand, after the ACC decided to add two more teams.
With two stalwarts of Nepali women’s cricket—Rubina Chhetry (soon to turn 31) and Sita Rana Magar (already 32)—nearing the end of their careers, it’s time for Nepal to focus on strengthening their bench, especially in the batting department. Samjhana Khadka’s unbeaten 72 off 45 was probably the most significant knock in the history of Nepali women’s cricket, not just because it came in the Asia Cup, but because of the quality of her shots. Some were jaw-dropping, especially for new fans who hadn’t seen her bat before. It was her first innings as an opener, and Nepal could use more consistent performances from Khadka at the top if they hope to match Thailand, provided players like Kabita Kunwar and Indu Barma also chip in with good knocks.
While there are decent backups in the bowling department, like Ashmina Karmacharya and Kritika Marasini, the batting may suffer once the two legends retire.
Two years ago, CAN announced that they would include 40-over women’s cricket in their domestic calendar for the first time since 2014, to push for ODI status from the ICC. However, two years have passed, and not much progress has been made in organizing 40-over matches in domestic cricket. When the Nepali men’s team’s ODI status was on the line, the full focus was on the men’s team, which was understandable. Now that their ODI status is secured, it might be time for the administrators to also prioritize the women’s team. It’s not that CAN has completely overlooked women’s cricket—they have increased the pay scale to provide financial security for the players. However, much more needs to be done, and it needs to happen quickly. If not, 8-10 years from now, we might find ourselves saying, “We used to beat them,” just as we do today when reflecting on the rise of Thailand’s women’s cricket.
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