After a hiatus from top level competition  for four years, Nepali age group cricket is back on track again following the ICC U-19 World Cup qualification in an achievement that has opened up many possibilities.

Nepal qualified for their seventh appearance in the U-19 World Cup following a three-wicket victory over Ireland in the Qualifiers that concluded in Malaysia on October 22. The qualification comes as a major boost at a time when Nepali cricket is going through tough period with neither the cricket governing body able to run the sport smoothly nor national team succeeding in big events.

But keeping the on-and-off- field problems aside, the achievement from the U-19 colts is a big relief for the cricket fraternity which has feared the golden generation that played the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 is left without any replacement. “The U-19 World Cup is a focal point for us,” said Binod Das who holds a record of leading Nepal into the second round of 2000 U-19 World Cup as the only non-Test playing nation in history.

Under Das, Nepal also entered the plate-final of the 2002 edition making his side a force to reckon in U-19 cricket. Nepal were once the giants among the non-Test playing U-19 Asian teams beating Test juggernauts Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand in the World Cups. But with the emergence of Afghanistan in the region, they have not only lost their grip over the regional title but also have been flirting with U-19 World Cup chances.

“It has been very tough for us for the past few years in U-19 level because we have not been doing what we need to (as an administration). But qualifying for the 2016 U-19 World Cup is a major boost and we need to see this as a breeding ground,” said Das who also captained Nepal in the 2002 edition.

“We don’t have a proper domestic structure and our qualification into the World Cup opens us an opportunity to groom our players and prepare them for the big show. I have seen maturity in the current set of U-19 players and giving them exposure is a must because they are the ones who will represent senior team in the future,” Das added.

National team skipper Paras Khadka, who led Nepal in the 2008 U-19 World Cup, currently heads a set of players in the senior side who all have come from U-19 level. Khadka is well aware of the struggle the country is going through in producing future national cricketers but points towards a bigger picture.

It’s (U-19 World Cup) a solid base for international cricket. We will get to play against Test playing teams where you will get the platform to prove yourself. Now it’s about how we build from here. We need to invest on them and put them under certain programme. Few of the players in the current U-19 team are already able to play for the senior side. We need to have a strong domestic base at their disposal. I hope things will change soon,” said Khadka adding the way they played in Malaysia hints towards a bright future.

“They have beaten Ireland twice on their road to qualification which is very commendable. Its great to see this kind of talent coming through. This is just a beginning for us. We need to provide them as much cricket as we can,” the skipper concluded. U-19 skipper Raju Rijal wants to leave no stone unturned when the team joins 10 Test playing teams and six Associates in January 22 to February 15 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh.

“Our next step is to perform well at the World Cup. We have to go abroad and play in wickets replicating those of Bangladesh,” said Rijal.