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Kathmandu: The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has announced the final squad for the ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final, which will be held at Kirtipur and Mulpani Cricket Grounds starting from Monday. Sandeep Lamichhane has also been included in the squad.

Two weeks ago, Lamichhane announced through social media that he was withdrawing from the competition to spend time with his family. As a result, he was not part of the team for the triangular T20I series against Hong Kong and UAE. Nepal secured victories against both UAE and Hong Kong during the league stage of the triangular series, but they were defeated by UAE in the final by four wickets.

The ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final is scheduled to take place from Oct 13 to 20. According to CAN, the Nepali team includes Rohit Paudel (captain), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sundeep Zora, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Abinash Bohra, Pratish GC, Bibek Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Binod Bhandari.

Surya Tamang, Shyam (Mausam) Dhakal, Lokesh Bam, and Sagar Dhakal, who were part of the team that played in the T20I triangular series, were not included in the Qualifier Final squad.

The tournament has two groups where Group A comprises Nepal, Singapore, Oman, and Malaysia, and Group B includes UAE, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and Kuwait. Nepal's first match will be against Singapore on Monday.

The two teams that advance to the final will have the opportunity to compete in the T20 World Cup next year in America and the West Indies.

Kathmandu: The Embassy of India in Kathmandu has donated cricket bats to the Nepali senior cricket team. During an event, Ambassador of India to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, presented 20 cricket bats, which were procured from Sareen Sports, to Nepal Cricket Team Captain Rohit Paudel. This handover took place in the presence of Chatur Bahadur Chand, President of the Cricket Association of Nepal, and Paras Khadka, the Secretary.

The equipment was delivered on behalf of the BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation and SJVN Ltd. As a gesture of appreciation, the cricket team also presented the ambassador with a signed jersey from the Nepal Cricket Team.

In his remarks, Ambassador Naveen Srivastava congratulated the Nepal national Cricket Team for their impressive performance, particularly in the recent Asia Cup and Asian Games. He emphasized that this donation symbolizes a new chapter in the strong people-to-people ties between India and Nepal. The Ambassador extended his best wishes to the cricket team for the upcoming tri-nation T20 Cup Finals and the ICC-T20 World Cup Qualifiers scheduled to begin at the end of the month.

Chand, Khadka and Monty Desai, the cricket team’s Head Coach, expressed their gratitude to the Embassy, BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation, and SJVN Ltd. They highlighted that this equipment handover signifies the beginning of a collaborative journey between the Embassy and the Cricket Association of Nepal.

Bengaluru: Defending champion England endured yet another abject loss at the Cricket World Cup as an eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka on Thursday left its hopes of advancing hanging by a slim thread.

England crashed to 156 all out after opting to bat—its lowest World Cup total since 2003, and the lowest ODI score ever recorded at the batting-friendly M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Sri Lanka pacer Lahiru Kumara led the rout and took 3-35 in seven overs. Ben Stokes was the top scorer for England with 43 runs.

Sri Lanka then coasted to victory with 24.2 overs to spare, finishing with 160-2. Pathum Nissanka (77 not out) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65 not out) scored attacking half-centuries.

It was Sri Lanka’s fifth consecutive victory over England in World Cups.

England has just one win—against Bangladesh—from its opening five games at the tournament following heavy losses to New Zealand and South Africa and an upset defeat to Afghanistan.

Its third successive loss means England has made the worst start of any defending champions since the 1999 World Cup. Back then, Sri Lanka lost three out of five games and failed to qualify for the super six stage and the eventual knockouts.

England’s chances of making the semifinals also took a big blow as it is ninth with two points, only above the Netherlands on account of net run-rate.

Sri Lanka climbed to sixth with four points.

England got off to a decent start as Jonny Bairstow (30) and Dawid Malan (28) added 45 runs off 39 balls for the first wicket. But Angelo Mathews, playing his first game of the tournament, had Malan caught behind in the seventh over. And two overs later, Joe Root was run out for three.

The collapse began in the 14th over when Bairstow was caught at mid-on off Kasun Rajitha (2-36). Skipper Jos Buttler’s torrid run with the bat continued as he was caught behind off Kumara in the next over.

Liam Livingstone wanted to hit his way out of trouble, but was out lbw for one as England sunk to 85-5 in 17 overs.

Stokes put on 37 runs off 46 balls with Moeen Ali (15) before Mathews got a second wicket as Ali was caught behind after England managed to cross the 100-mark. The veteran all-rounder finished with 2-14 in five overs.

It ushered in a fresh collapse as the defending champions lost the last five wickets for 34 runs across 70 deliveries.

Stokes was the eighth man out, holing to the deep off Kumara, as none of the English tail-enders contributed a decent score.

In reply, Sri Lanka faltered at the start as David Willey struck twice to remove Kusal Perera (4) and Kusal Mendis (11) early on. But Nissanka and Samarawickrama then bedded in for their unbeaten partnership.

Nissanka hit seven fours and two sixes, as he brought up 50 off 54 balls. His partner was more aggressive — reaching 50 off 44 balls with four fours and a six.

Overall they added 137 runs off 122 balls for the third wicket, as England suffered a third consecutive loss in a World Cup for the first time since 1996.

Sri Lanka's five-wicket win over the Netherlands last weekend was its first victory at the tournament.

AP

Kathmandu: Commercial paragliding flights have commenced in Chandragiri, Kathmandu. Babu Adventures, the company founded by Nepal’s first high-altitude paragliding instructor and pilot, Sanobabu Sunuwar, has launched paragliding services.

Sunuwar, who has the remarkable achievements of scaling Mount Everest and paragliding from its summit to sea level, is also the recipient of the ‘Adventurer of the Year-2012’ award from National Geographic.

Paragliding flights take off from Chandragiri Hill, situated 20 minutes west of Bhaleshwar Temple. The flight starts at Chandragiri, which is 2,300 meters above sea level, and ascends up to a hundred meters in the sky before landing in Chitlang at 1,700 meters above sea level.

During the paragliding experience, participants can enjoy breathtaking aerial views of Bhaleshwar Temple and most parts of the Kathmandu Valley. The flight also offers panoramic views of regions such as Rasuwa and Dhading, as well as an enchanting perspective of Makwanpur’s Tistung, Palung, and the man-made Indrasarovar Lake.

The flight route predominantly traverses lush forests, enhancing the experience. According to government regulations, the company is permitted to fly up to 12 paragliders simultaneously, serving up to 100 people daily.

Sunuwar, who runs a paragliding school in Swarek Maidan, Syangja, believes that adventure air tourism has vast potential across Nepal and they've invested in Chandragiri to provide Kathmandu residents with a taste of flying in their city.

He said, “We’re on a mission to promote paragliding throughout Nepal. Given the high population density in Kathmandu, we hope to quickly and effectively spread its appeal.” The company is also prepared for ‘cross-country’ paragliding. They have invested around Rs 15m in establishing paragliding operations in Chandragiri, with plans for further investment.

Regarding the fee, the company charges Rs 8,000 per person for paragliding at Chandragiri, which includes a 15 to 25-minute paragliding flight, photographs, videos, and transportation from Kathmandu to the paragliding site. Photo and video equipment are provided by the company. Foreign nationals are charged Rs 12,000 per person for the same package. Nepali tourists who don’t require transportation by the company can enjoy paragliding at a rate of Rs 7,200.

To make a booking for paragliding in Chandragiri, interested individuals should contact Babu Adventures at least one day in advance. Bookings can be made through the company’s website.