Purbanchal Cricket Academy (PCA) is set to bring an end to the crisis of 50-over cricket as it prepares for the Birat Cricket Cup to be held at the SSP grounds in Biratnagar next month.

PCA is yet to finalise the dates and structure of the tournament but national team skipper Paras Khadka expected that the event will be very helpful.

“I was approached for this tournament by former national cricketer Yunil Shrestha and I am glad that being a former player, they are coming up with this initiative,” said Khadka during a press conference on Tuesday. “Its good to see a 50-over tournament and I hope this will help producing more cricketers. If we get regular quality tournaments, we will be able to tap in some good talents,” added Khadka.

The tournament comes at a time when the country’s cricket governing body is under suspension from the International Cricket Council and domestic structure is without a single 50-over tournament.

Nepal did get Prime Minister Cup last year but that 50-over tournament also came in a three-year time. PM Cup, a National Sports Council event, is also scheduled to begin next month.

Birat Cricket Cup will have eight teams which will be divided into two groups for a league-cum-knockout event. PCA Secretary Subrath Poudel said the organisers are looking for options to whether come up with a franchise-based tournament or an invitational club level tournament.

“To move forward with a franchise concept, I guess it will definitely take a long time for us. But what we can make sure is that this tournament is going to be one of its kind in Nepal.

Rather than seeing at the commercial viability of cricket, we are intending to give good amount of players to Nepali cricket,” said Poudel adding few good players from Pakistan will come to join the tournament.