The Malaysia Cricket Association had earlier received confirmation from the Cricket Association of Nepal of their acceptance to play the match which will be schedule for later in the year to allow for the necessary preparations for such a high level match.
“On behalf of the Malaysian people and the Malaysian Cricket Association we would like to extent our heartfelt condolences for the lost that your nation has suffered. The Malaysian Cricket Association would like to be the first to register our willingness to assist in the long process of recovery and rebuilding”. Mr. Mahinda Vallipuram stated following the presentation of the official letter at the Nepal Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
“In this time of crisis the Nepal cricket team is a powerful symbol of national unity and has an important role to play the rebuilding of the nation which following the devastation of the recent earthquake will take many years”. Mr. Mahinda Continued
“It was important to involve the Embassy of Nepal in Kuala Lumpur as an effort of this level requires the attention and involvement of both our governments. As a national sports body we will continue to work with the Ministry of Youth & Sports to galvanize the relevant government bodies in Malaysia” Mr. Mahinda added
Following the meeting H.E. Dr. Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat, Ambassador of Nepal to Malaysia stated “This is indeed a great gesture, the relationship between Malaysia and Nepal is very close, and it is times like these that friendship is important. It will take several years to fully rebuild our country and the proposed annual match will not only be an important fund raiser for the reconstruction an important publicity tool once the initial media spot light shifts.
“Cricket is an important tool for diplomacy and exchange, to the best of my knowledge the relationships between Nepal and Malaysia on the playing field is very good, this has served us well” H.E. Dr. Niranjan continued.
The proposed format would be a 50 over day/night match between the Nepal National Team and a World XI made up of several high profile players both current and recently retired. All proceeds from the match would be donated to Nepalese people to assist in the rebuilding process.
For those organisations and individuals who wish to contribute more information can be found on the Malaysian Cricket Association website www.cricketmalaysia.com
