Bhutan will be taking part in the upcoming Four-Nation Cricket Tournament which will be played in Malaysia. The Men’s senior national cricket team will compete against opponents from the Maldives, Thailand and Malaysia. The team is currently in Sarpang practising at the country’s first and only international standard cricket ground.
The team has been in Gelephu for the past month. All 16 players have been practising rigorously almost every day. Expectations are high among the players. Unlike before, the players say they can now go to an international competition well prepared.
“Before, we didn’t have such facilities like the turf wicket here made of clay in the country. We used to play on artificial turfs made using carpets,” said Kinley Penjor. “Now, it’s much better. We can practice on a proper turf. Earlier, we had to sometimes dive on rocky surfaces.”
“When we have such facilities to practice in, we feel like we can succeed. Till now we had been practising on school grounds and we still gave a tough competition,” said Sherab Loday. “Now we have a proper ground here in Gelephu, and we feel we can perform much better.”
The construction of the international standard cricket ground started in 2016. Although the turf has been completed, other facilities and structures are under construction.
According to the team’s head coach, having proper facilities will also play a crucial part in the development of young cricket players and raise the standard of the game in the country.
“Boys are getting into it but there is a huge amount of improvement needed,” said the head coach, Trishane Nonis. “My plan is to use all the available facilities here to train the boys accordingly, so they are successful in the tournament.”
The Bhutan Cricket Council Board said that the main objective of the tournament is to bring the four nations closer in terms of cricket and initiate more international matches for the senior national teams. The four participating countries have also agreed to hold the cricket tournament annually. The CEO of the BCCB said such tournaments will help improve the level of the players and also help to maintain the ICC T20 international rankings.
Karma Wangdi, Gelephu
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
