Match Highlights: The rise of cricket in Nepal: ‘The T20 World Cup is an opportunity. The expectation is Test cricket’ – Key Moments

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There is a glint in Stuart Law’s eye as he assesses the task awaiting Nepal at the T20 World Cup, where they could announce themselves on the biggest stage like never before.

“I keep on telling the boys that England and West Indies will be under far more pressure than us,” says Nepal’s Australian coach of the two biggest opponents in their group at the tournament. “We’ve got no right to win those games. They should walk all over us.

“But if we can grab hold of any mistakes they make and drive them home, then they could crumble.

“If you can stay calm when panic sets in among the opposition and keep delivering your skills, the rest should be plain sailing. I like the underdog tag. I grew up with it in Queensland so I’m pretty used to it. New South Wales were always 10 times better than anybody else and it was always nice to go and play them because you had no pressure on you to beat them.

“If you stuck to your guns and showed your skills, anything was possible. That’s how it is now.”

It is a challenge Law is relishing ahead of Nepal’s opening match against two-time T20 world champions England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. The the 57-year-old has vast coaching experience at the highest level with West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He has led Middlesex in the English County Championship and was at the helm of the United States team that defeated Pakistan and reached the Super Eights in the last T20 World Cup.

Now he is coach of perhaps the fastest growing cricket nation in the world as they approach their third T20 World Cup with a genuine chance of emerging from a group that also includes new boys Italy and a Scotland team who only replaced Bangladesh at the last minute.

“I’m loving it,” Law tells The Athletic. “The freedom I have to do my job is fantastic and it means I can live or die by my sword.

“I work well with the people above me and understand what they’re trying to achieve, so I just try to execute that out on the ground. That’s all I’ve ever done.

“As a coach I try to mirror what the board want to see on the cricket field and you go about doing it for them by creating a learning environment in the dressing room.

“I know this isn’t going to last forever and I’m not naive enough to think ‘this is me’ for the rest of my life. I’m not just talking Nepal. I’m talking coaching. But right now I couldn’t be enjoying my coaching any more than I am. For me it’s a pleasure to be out here with these boys and we want to create something pretty special.”

The development of cricket in Nepal is already special.

They were granted T20 international status by the International Cricket Council (ICC) when they qualified for the 2014 World Cup, were handed one-day international (ODI) status in 2018 and then made their biggest impact so far in the last World T20 in the U.S. and Caribbean, agonisingly falling one run short of defeating South Africa.

Enthusiasm for the game is immense among Nepal’s 30million population, with a growing T20 franchise league at the pinnacle of their domestic system. The demand for tickets for their games in this World Cup is secondary only to those for India’s matches.

Crowds cram into a Nepal Premier League match at Kirtipur Cricket Ground in Kathmandu in December 2024 (Ambir Tolang/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“It’s going through the roof,” says Law. “Football used to be the biggest sport in Nepal, but cricket has overtaken it and the emergence of the Nepal Premier League has only added to that. It’s got great reviews from overseas players and the ICC are very impressed with us. I just hope that’s reflected in the funding we receive going forwards.

“The expectation in Nepal is Test cricket. I don’t think that will happen next year and there are a lot of things that need to be put into place before we consider that challenge, but the management above me and definitely the fan-base and the players are all keen for it. Nothing is impossible but it will take time.

“A lot of people say they want to play Test cricket but might not mean it 100 per cent, but these guys are desperate to play it. They’re just desperate to play any cricket, to be honest, because they love the game. It’s so refreshing for me because they’re wonderful humans first and foremost and pretty bloody good at cricket, too.

“So when they say they want to play Test cricket it’s best not to dismiss that as a flippant comment because, behind the scenes, that’s what they want to achieve. I hope that in 10 years’ time they do have Test status and they are regularly competing on a world stage. I can tell you that the grounds would be full for Test cricket in Nepal.”

Cricket’s popularity in Nepal is soaring (Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

But with enthusiasm has come great expectations.

“There will be people calling for my head if we don’t win this World Cup — that’s the level of expectation — but I do try to keep it real,” says Law. “That’s tough because these are highly-talented cricketers.

“My expectations are realistic. A lot of people are saying we should qualify comfortably from this group (the top two go through) but nothing’s that easy. I wish it was.

“If we stick to our plans and recognise and then grab hold of the big moments, we have a great opportunity to put some wins on the board. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Nepal have already shown what they can do against one of the big teams in their group, beating West Indies 2-1 in Sharjah last year in one of Law’s first series in charge.

“I’m not sure people realise how monumental that was for the development of cricket in Nepal,” says Law. “It was the first time we’d played a bilateral series of any kind against a Test-playing nation, and to beat the West Indies and hold a 2-0 lead against them in a three-match series was something pretty special for the nation.

“People are still talking about it today, that’s the impact it’s had. It also gave us confidence because we went from there to the World Cup qualifiers and went through undefeated. It made us realise that it doesn’t matter who’s in front of us. If we play to our ability and turn up with the right attitude and intensity we can achieve a lot.”

Nepalese fans gather at Army Pavilion in Kathmandu to watch the ICC World Cup 2024 match between Nepal and the Netherlands (Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

One aspect of Nepal’s play stood out against West Indies for their coach.

“I’ve never seen anything like our fielding display in the second game against them,” says Law. “We’ve got extreme pace in our side, and I’m not talking about with the ball. I’m talking about leg-speed between the wickets and running around the field.

“Our plan over time is to become the best fielding team not just in associate but world cricket. The target is to always pull off at least one and maybe more run outs in every game we play.”

Nepal have a combination of experience and promise in their World Cup squad and their journey is epitomised by 25-year-old medium-paced bowler Nandan Yadav, who will be playing in his first world tournament for his country.

“I used to play tennis-ball cricket at school,” Yadav tells The Athletic of his upbringing in the Siraha district of Madhesh Province. “There wasn’t any leather-ball cricket in my region so I didn’t even know the rules at that time. Then, after watching Nepal at the 2014 World Cup, I was inspired to take up the game more seriously.

“Everything has led to this moment and playing for my country at a World Cup is a dream come true.

“The rule with us is that if you are not a true Nepalese citizen you are not allowed to play for Nepal and that means we are a family. There are no outsiders. That really helps us. To play under the flag really does mean everything.

“The world knows all about us now. We are underdogs but we are working hard to become a Test nation. We want to get at least to the Super Eights in this World Cup and we are doing all we can under Stuart Law to do that.”

Kids play cricket in the streets of Thamel, Kathmandu (Nicolas Economou/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Law knows everything about pulling off an upset at a World Cup after that famous U.S. triumph over Pakistan in Dallas in 2024. But far from providing a springboard for their coach, it proved to be the beginning of the end. Law was sacked just six months into his three-year contract with the U.S..

He takes a moment to gather his thoughts when asked now what went wrong. “People have speculated that I’ve fallen out with all the people at the U.S., but I don’t think I was their first choice anyway,” he says. “In fact I know I wasn’t.

“I was appointed pretty close to the World Cup and there were rumours in the dressing room throughout the tournament that I was going to be removed straight after it. But because of our results they couldn’t do it.

“Then a few other things happened, but nothing from me. It was hurtful at the time and the way it was done was probably unprofessional and vindictive, but I’m very happy with the way it’s turned out and I’m lucky to be head coach of a team that wants to go forward and understands it needs to get better.

“Nepal have done everything possible to do that and it really is a pleasure to be with this team. What happened to me with the U.S. is life as a head coach but it could have been handled a lot better from my point of view.”

Now that is forgotten and the giants of England are on the horizon for former Australia batter Law, who is based in England with his English wife and spent a long and distinguished spell in county cricket, mainly with Essex and Lancashire.

“When we were told we’d be playing England in the first game everyone had a big smile on their face and said: ‘How great is this?’,” says Law.

“Not that we think we’re going to walk out there and wipe the floor with them. Just that we’re going to be playing a team with that quality. To open the World Cup against this opposition at the iconic Wankhede Stadium is pretty mouth-watering for our boys.”

The ICC T20 World Cup trophy at the Boudhanath Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kathmandu (Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Not least Yadav. “We have always watched England and how they play and it’s a dream come true to play against them,” he says. “Everyone at home will be watching us. They worship cricket in Nepal and there are thousands of people watching every game.

“Even when we play abroad there are a lot of people supporting us and that’s one of our big strengths. Everyone is really excited for this World Cup, especially playing against England. I wish Ben Stokes was there. I would have loved to play against him. But I will look forward to playing against all the England team because they are great players.”

And the atmosphere should be special too.

“On one side will be the Barmy Army and on the other side will be the Nepalese, and I’m pretty sure our fans will be noisier than them,” adds Law. “It will be a spectacle. I expect to be sitting out there with the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end and shivers down my spine, goosebumps all over.

“We want to make sure England will be in for quite a game.”