Kathmandu, December 20
The ‘elected’ group of the ICC-suspended Cricket Association of Nepal is preparing a response to an ultimatum issued by the world governing body to clarify how it meets the Council’s membership criteria.
General Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakurel is drafting the response and is preparing to send to the ICC ahead of the December 22 deadline.
This comes a few weeks after the ICC, in a letter to CAN, demanded that the Nepali board explain to it how it meets the international body’s membership criteria, by December 22. The ICC had also said that if CAN fails to submit a satisfactory response, it would be forced to cancel Nepal’s membership of the global body.
The ICC’s letter has been seen as a response to the decisions taken by the General Assembly, held on August 22. The assembly had endorsed a new statute for the association, prepared by the ICC-formed Nepal Advisory Committee. But the ICC was unhappy with the move as the assembly made some changes it does not approve, to the draft statute.
In his response to the ICC, Pyakurel is going to say that the statute endorsed by the General Assembly should form the basis of any future agreement. But, CAN is open to discussing issues the ICC wants to be addressed before the suspension can be lifted.
“In the case of ‘membership criteria’, we are already a member of the ICC, we have just been suspended and we are not seeking new membership. We will take all necessary administrative steps to comply with the membership criteria after the suspension is lifted,” Pyakuryal told Onlinekhabar.
According to sources, the ICC is preparing to send a delegation to Nepal after receiving CAN’s response. The delegation is likely to come to Kathmandu after the new government assumes power. The delegation will hold discussions with the stakeholders in Nepal and prepare recommendations for the ICC General Assembly, to be held in February.
The International Cricket Council suspended CAN’s membership in April 2015 citing government intervention in the administration of the sport. It formed an advisory committee to draft a statute for a new body that would replace CAN in October. The advisory committee’s recommendations were passed with some amendments by the General Assembly.
