Five-member ‘Independent Panel’ finalized for CAN reinstatement

Kathmandu, July 27: A five-member ‘Independent Panel’ (monitoring committee) has been formed to work for the reinstatement of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) from August, informed Ashok Nath Pyakurel, general secretary of the elected body of the CAN, the body that was suspended in 2016.

Former captain of the Nepal national cricket team Lekh Bahadur Chhetri and Kathmandu District Cricket Association’s (KDCA) representative Thakur Pratap Thapa will coordinate with the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s representatives: Muhammad Ali Aslam (ICC Head of Internal Audit), Ammar Shaikh (ICC Senior Manager– Strategic Projects) and Niteesha Kothari (ICC Finance & Operations Officer – Asia).

A timeline has been agreed by all the stakeholders, which the independent panel should follow to reinstate the CAN. A step-by-step formation of the district working committees, the provincial working committees, and a central working committee is to be done as per the reinstatement process. Only the representatives selected through this process will be eligible to be the office bearers of the CAN.

Previously, an ICC delegation was set to visit Nepal toward the end of the last month, before the ICC’s Annual General Meeting scheduled for July 1.

But the plans were cancelled. According to Pyakurel, the ICC has been busy on its own. It has agreed to let monitoring committee start work from next month.

“We are now ready with a tentative timeline to reinstate the CAN. The process was halted by the ICC itself. Things now should move ahead with the monitoring body ready to work. A representative of the ICC was scheduled to visit Nepal but now they have given green signal to work,” Pyakurel said. “And if everything goes as per the timeline, it should take two to three months for the final approval from the ICC for the reinstatement of the CAN,” Pyakurel added.

Three months after the adoption of its revised constitution, the CAN has been unable to perform its expected functions in accordance with the organization’s constitution. The association had adopted the revised constitution at its Special General Assembly on April 19. The revised statute has already been endorsed by the National Sports Council (NSC).

Failure to implement the constitution has stalled the reinstatement process of the apex cricketing body of Nepal. However, there are many other factors that have imperiled the reinstatement of the CAN.

One of such factors is an official statement from the NSC about the dissolution of the ad-hoc committee of the CAN, which was formed two years ago parallel to the elected body of the CAN.

The ICC had suspended the elected body in 2016.
Among other requirements, the CAN should submit a copy of the minutes of its Special General Assembly to the ICC, including the evidence of the withdrawal of the outstanding court-cases, and a schedule of the proposed elections.