Kathmandu, August 19
The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has yet to conclude the recruitment process for six positions it opened applications for three months ago, raising questions among applicants over the fate of the vacancies.
CAN had opened applications on April 24 for the positions of national men’s cricket team manager, women’s cricket development officer, front desk officer, inventory officer, procurement officer and junior officer (finance).
The deadline for applications was May 10. However, CAN has not publicly announced any progress since the vacancies were published on its official website and Facebook page.
Applicants say they have received no information about the recruitment process.
“I applied, but I haven’t heard anything so far. I also need to find out what happened,” one applicant said.
Even CAN’s central members appear to be unaware of the progress.
“I know the vacancies were announced. I don’t know what happened after that,” a CAN central member said.
CAN President Chatur Bahadur Chand said a selection committee had been formed under General Manager Utsav Dhungana to oversee the recruitment process.
However, CAN Treasurer Padam Khadka has claimed that the team manager position is not currently necessary, raising further questions over whether the recruitment process will move forward.
Manager vacancy changed after controversy
CAN had initially set a specific qualification for applicants seeking the national men’s team manager position.
Under the original criteria, candidates were required to have represented Nepal at the international level for at least three years or to have played top-level domestic cricket for at least five years.
The criteria drew strong criticism, with concerns that it had been designed to favour a particular individual.
CAN subsequently revised the criteria on the same day following the controversy.
Despite opening applications for the position, CAN officials now say the team does not currently require a permanent manager.
Khadka said the manager position would not be filled immediately and that the issue would be taken up at CAN’s upcoming Annual General Meeting.
“There’s no need for a manager right now. What would a manager do? The Nepal A team is going to Australia while the senior team is going to Malaysia. What would one manager do?” Khadka said.
He added that CAN would seek approval from its upcoming AGM before proceeding with the position.
Nepal has repeatedly travelled without a team manager
The uncertainty comes at a time when Nepal’s national team has repeatedly faced management problems due to the absence of a permanent team manager.
Nepal recently returned from the Netherlands after playing an ICC World Cup League 2 series without a win.
CAN had assigned Shridhar KC, secretary of the Karnali Province Cricket Association and president of the Surkhet District Cricket Association, as team manager for the Netherlands series.
However, delays in his appointment and visa processing prevented him from travelling with the team, leaving Nepal without a manager during the series.
Nepal had also travelled without a team manager during the League 2 series held at home last April.
At the time, CAN central member Diwakar Ghale had criticised the practice of creating the manager position primarily for overseas travel.
“We still haven’t properly understood the importance of a manager,” Ghale had written on social media, arguing that the position should also be used effectively during domestic series.
Nepal had faced a similar situation during a League 2 series in the UAE, where technical analyst Raman Shiwakoti took on the manager’s responsibilities in the absence of a designated team manager.
CAN officials continue to send provincial and district officials
CAN’s failure to appoint a permanent manager has meant that officials and members from district and provincial cricket associations are regularly being sent with the national team.
KC, who was previously unable to travel to the Netherlands because of visa-related issues, has now travelled to Australia as manager of Nepal A for the Top End T20 Series.
A CAN member alleged that the manager position had increasingly been used to send individuals preferred by the CAN leadership on overseas tours.
“CAN leadership has been using the manager position as a vote bank by sending people of its choice abroad,” the member said. “They are afraid that this practice could stop if the recruitment process moves forward.”
Foreign coaches have also reportedly advised CAN to appoint one permanent team manager rather than changing managers from one tournament to another.
CAN had opened the vacancy with the intention of appointing a permanent manager, but the recruitment process has remained stalled amid internal disagreements.
‘Opening a vacancy does not guarantee recruitment’
CAN Treasurer Khadka said opening vacancies does not mean all the advertised positions will necessarily be filled.
He said only positions considered essential would ultimately be recruited.
“We are not saying we will recruit for all these vacancies. We will recruit only for positions that are absolutely necessary. Just because we open vacancies does not guarantee that we will hire everyone and create a jumbo team that becomes a financial burden on CAN,” Khadka said.
Khadka said additional staff would be recruited only after CAN moves to a new office and assesses its actual requirements.
“We opened vacancies for the staff we need. We don’t have sufficient office space at Mulpani. Once we move to an office outside, we will add staff as needed. Simply adding employees creates a financial burden on CAN,” he said.
The uncertainty over the six vacancies, particularly the national team’s manager position, has left applicants waiting while the national cricket team continues to operate without a permanent management structure.
