Cricket Association of Nepal secretary Paras Khadka says Nepal must look beyond its immediate fight to retain ODI status and begin building a stronger, more competitive cricket structure.
Nepal face a difficult position in their 50-over pathway, but Khadka backed the current group to protect the country's ODI status. He cautioned, however, that survival alone should not be treated as sufficient progress.
"We have managed ODI status until now, but Nepal cricket has not yet entered the development phase,” Khadka told. "If we really want to develop, there is still a lot of homework to do across our cricket structure."
Khadka said Nepal had lost several close matches during the current cycle, with some decided by margins of only two or three runs. Those results, he argued, did not make Nepal a poor side, while no opponent in Associate cricket could be considered weak.
He said Nepal's upcoming assignments would provide opportunities to assess a larger group of players before the remaining Cricket World Cup League 2 fixtures.
According to Khadka, introducing new players directly into a high-pressure play-off would be difficult. The ACC Men’s Premier Cup and matches during Nepal’s Australia tour will therefore form an important part of the preparation.
The coach, captain and selection committee will use those matches to assess players from the senior and Nepal A setups before determining the strongest available combination for the League 2 matches.
Khadka also cautioned against defining Sandeep Lamichhane's ODI captaincy solely by whether Nepal retains its status.
"It should not be framed as whether ODI status survives under Sandeep’s captaincy," Khadka said. “The question should be whether Nepal cricket retains ODI status. Everyone has to contribute collectively.”
He said the captain, players, coaches, selectors and administrators must share responsibility for Nepal’s results.
Khadka also indicated that CAN was not planning an immediate change to the national team’s coaching staff. The board had evaluated the coach and collected feedback, particularly from players, which he described as positive.
"For now, I think we should stick with the coach for the next tours," he said.
Khadka nevertheless stressed that every position would remain subject to evaluation. CAN considers results alongside off-field conduct, teamwork and the environment within the squad when making decisions about coaches and captains.
The former Nepal captain said the country’s longer-term ambition should extend beyond retaining ODI status to becoming a leading Associate nation.
Achieving that objective would require stronger domestic structures, greater competition for places and sustained opportunities for emerging players.
"I believe in the talent and potential of the current players," Khadka said. “We will back them, but at the same time, we have to take the next step and create a genuinely competitive cricket environment."
