Public apology after Nepal's women's national team violates 'spirit of cricket'

By Michael Doyle

Nepal appeals for a time-out against Bhutan during the match.  (YouTube: Asian Cricket Council)

The Cricket Association of Nepal has apologised after its women's national team violated the "spirit of cricket" in their T20 victory over Bhutan.

Nepal successfully had Bhutan batter Ritshi Choden timed out after she was late coming to the crease following a wicket.

Bhutan were left at 2-0 after one ball and fell well short of the 114 runs Nepal set them in their Asian Cricket Council Women's Premier Cup match.

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Nepal's cricket board has offered a public apology after its women's team successfully had a batter timed out.

Nepal had set Bhutan a target of 114 runs on Thursday's Asian Cricket Council Women's Premier Cup T20 match in Malaysia. 

The Nepalese bowlers made the perfect start when they dismissed Bhutan opener Ngawang Choden on the first ball of the innings. 

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Ritshi did not make it out to the middle in time, and the Nepal players successfully appealed for her to be timed out.

That left Bhutan 2-0 after just one ball. Nepal would go on to win after Bhutan could only manage 8-62 from their 20 overs, but the nation's board was unimpressed with their women's actions. 

After the match, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) issued a press release apologising for the timed-out dismissal.

"The incident involving the timed-out dismissal of a Bhutanese batter during today's match does not reflect the values and spirit of cricket that the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) strives to uphold," CAN said in a statement.

"On behalf of the Cricket Association of Nepal, we extend our sincere apologies for the actions of our women's national team in this matter.

"While the dismissal was effected within the laws of cricket, we recognise that the spirit of the game extends beyond the written laws and must remain central to our conduct at all times.

“As a developing cricketing nation, we place the utmost importance on sportsmanship, mutual respect and fair play. We acknowledge that this incident has fallen short of those standards and regret any disappointment it may have caused.

“We convey our sincere apologies to Bhutan Cricket, the player concerned, and all relevant stakeholders. CAN remains firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and the spirit of cricket, both on and off the field.”