Former Proteas batsman Jonty Rhodes and ex-West Indies and Afghanistan fielding coach Ryan Maron will work with Nepal cricket later this month.
‘Eminent South African cricketer Rhodes and internationally renowned cricket coach Maron are set to implement high-intensity cricket training for young Nepali cricketers in Kathmandu,’ read Monday’s statement from private sports consulting firm, Sports ED.
‘The duo were invited to Nepal as part of “Rise of the Cricketing Stars” cricket development program, which the organisers believe could potentially lay the foundation for sustainable grassroots cricket in Nepal.
‘Nepal Cricket School has been implementing regular training through established local coaches, including exchange tournaments for its youngsters, and Sports ED has started advocating equal importance to sports and education in young students.
‘Speaking at the program, Rhodes expressed his delight at the opportunity to train young Nepali cricketers, noting that Nepal had a strong under-19 team that has been successful in various tournaments. He however hoped that the pool of talented players could further improve with more game time, in the absence of the structures required to develop cricket in Nepal.
‘He highlighted the importance of also training the local and national coaches, to achieve an exponential impact on the development of cricketing techniques in the small nation.
‘Coach Maron shared briefly his experiences working with national teams of Afghanistan and the West Indies, and local and school teams in South Africa, expressing the belief that this could be a stepping stone for a longer-term development program.
‘The duo arrived in Nepal on 10 November, and will implement the training from 13 to 23 November, and leave the country on 25 November. The program will introduce a number of innovative coaching and playing techniques through one-on-one and group sessions, as well as provide young emerging cricketers with sessions on fitness, nutrition, sports medicine and injury management, performance tracking and grading, and winning mentality.
‘The said training will be organized at the Tribhuwan University cricket ground, the only cricket facility in the capital.’
Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane’s global popularity has epitomised the rise of cricket in Nepal. The 18-year-old has played for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League, Nangarhar Leopards in the Afghanistan Premier League and others.
