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The history of cricket in Nepal is more than 100 years old, with the ruling Rana Dynasty at that time, introducing the sport to the country in the 1920s. But the first real step to taking cricket forward in the Himalayan nation happened under the aristocracy in 1946 with the establishment of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).
When King Tribhuvan took over from the Ranas in 1951, cricket started spreading its wings among the ordinary populace. Then, in 1961, when the CAN became the part of the National Sport Council in the country, the promotion for the sport started in the entire country of Nepal, but it was a major thing in the Kathmandu valley only.
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In the 1980s, when cricket grounds started to come up in Nepal, including the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, it led to the country joining the International Cricket Council (ICC) as an affiliated member in 1988. Then, Nepal got affiliated as a member in 1990 with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), becoming a full member with them in 1994.
Nepal cricket team plays cricket for the first time
The biggest moment for Nepal cricket in the previous century happened on February 2, 1996, when they became the associate member of the ICC. The men’s cricket team played a match for the first time in their history on September 6, 1996, losing the match to Bangladesh in the ACC Trophy.
After moderate success in the ACC Trophy as the years went by, Nepal men’s cricket team got the opportunity to compete in first-class cricket in 2004, defeating Malaysia, but drawing against UAE.
