‘Dream come true’ - Stars of Nepal’s historic U19 triumph reflect on reaching Super Six stage
In a must-win match, Nepal captain Dev Khanal rose to the occasion after Aakash Chand’s five-for set the foundation for one of the greatest ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup moments.
By Rutvik Chhibber
When Nepal needed six runs to win with two wickets in hand, Khanal sat alone, next to the team dugout, on his knees with his hands on his head, praying for a miracle and simultaneously rueing about not seeing his team over the finish line.
“I was just praying to God that we have done so much hard work over the last couple of months back home. We have not seen our families in the last two months and everybody is here, doing the hard work.” Khanal spoke to ICC Digital in an exclusive conversation.
Khanal led the way with a well-made 58 off 89 balls chasing 146 against Afghanistan. He was dismissed by Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar when Nepal still needed 18 runs.
Nepal had only three wickets in hand. Faridoon Dawoodzai came back into the attack and bowled the set batter Dipak Bohara (27) and Chand (1) in back-to-back overs. And Afghanistan found themselves in a script similar to their previous clash against New Zealand – one wicket to win and one run to defend.
Relive the nailbiting thriller!
Then, Subash Bhandari maintained his composure and dragged Nepal over the finish line with a four down to the fence on the off-side that brought jubilation in the knowledge that they had qualified for the Super Six phase.
“It's huge. It's a dream come true for us. You know, we have been preparing for this over the last couple of months. We know we can do it and we believe that. We can play good cricket at this level as well," Khanal added.
"And we proved that. We stood up and showed the character."
When it came to showing character, Chand stood atop and the skipper acknowledged his gallant effort of becoming the first Nepal fast bowler to grab a five-wicket haul in the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup history (5/34).
Aakash Chand's magical bowling performance helped Nepal into Super Six
“He's the most hard-working guy. He comes first, he goes last. He's that kind of character and he deserved it. We know how good he is," Khanal said.
"It's a huge, huge honour for him. It's always his name on the top of the ICC page for taking five wickets for the country."
For Chand himself, it was the fruition of his hard work and support from the Nepal fans that made him feel the love of his parents in them for a performance that also bagged him the Player of the Match award.
“I’m so grateful for this moment. Everyone was watching in Nepal. My brother, sister, and the whole family. There is nothing bigger than this to take five wickets in a crucial game, winning the match for the team. All the hard work has paid off," Chand said.
The next generation of Nepali talent sat down to discuss the immense fan support back home.
"I am very happy that wherever we play, as Nepali cricketers, we get so much love and support in every corner of the world. I want to thank all of them. I can see the love of my parents in those supporters. I want to say thank you to all of them."
Nepal get ready for their Super Six stage clash against Bangladesh on 31 January and India on 2 February, both at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein.