India extends support to Nepal cricket team to play World Cup qualifier

Dharamsala: In a warm gesture, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) extended support to the national cricket team of Nepal - hit by a devastating earthquake in April - to play the World Cup qualifying match in Ireland.

Nepal, scheduled to play a qualifier in Ireland later this year, is undergoing training at the cricket stadium in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. 

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary and Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association president Anurag Singh Thakur on Wednesday met the players and encouraged them to give their best.

"After Nepal was hit by earthquake, their necessities have been affected. Mentally the players were not prepared to play. And to take them out from such situation and for better performance, it was needed that the players were brought to a new place outside Nepal and the Dharamsala cricket stadium was a suitable place for the players to practice before the match in Ireland," said Thakur.

The coach of Nepal cricket team, Pubudu Dassanayake, thanked BCCI for providing the required infrastructure for the team to train. "It's a great pleasure to be here because we are having a world cup qualifier in Ireland coming July. The training which was suppose to be held in Kathmandu, we couldn't do it there and we are glad that the BCCI offered this place. It's a beautiful place and so far we are enjoying it," said Dassanayake.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on April 25 this year, killing thousands and demolishing more than half a million homes and other infrastructure.