Nepal has created a chance for bright future

Nepal's effort in reaching the final of the Plate Championship of the ICC Under-19 World Cup at Lincoln University has been one of the highlights of the tournament.

Nepal were only a fraction away from qualifying from the Super League stage of the World Cup, and they had victories over Test nations Pakistan and Bangladesh.

But in terms of their own development they were probably best suited to learning in a less harsh environment in the Plate.

The real test for Nepal lies in maximising the benefits to its players from the tournament.

Whether coach Roy Dias is part of that may be decided by the Asian Cricket Council. Dias was appointed to the side by them, but he has been approached by United Arab Emirates and it could be the ACC that decides what he does.

"My personal preference is Nepal - I know these guys so well," he said.

Dias believes Nepal could play at the top level in 10 years.

"This has been a good tournament for them. They have had facilities to work in they have not had before.

"But we find it difficult to get the kids interested back in Nepal. Soccer is their main game. And there is no schools set-up for cricket. Rumesh Ratnayake has been going around Nepal encouraging kids and trying to get them playing.

"They have the talent but it is a long road ahead. There is some club cricket but it is all one-day cricket and mainly only 40 overs, so they haven't been used to playing 50 overs.

"But watching these guys the last three months I thought they could cause some surprises here, especially the spin bowlers. I knew the strength of my players," Dias said.