The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), the governing body for cricket in Nepal, has decided not to renew the contract of Monty Desai, the national cricket coach. Under Desai’s leadership, Nepal successfully retained its ODI status and qualified for the T20 World Cup after a decade. This decision means Desai will no longer serve as the coach of Nepal’s national cricket team.
Desai, who is also considered the hero of Happy Dressing Room, expressed gratitude to the Nepalis during his farewell.
“This is not goodbye; this is thank you,” says Desai, hinting that he may once again be associated with Nepali cricket in the future.
His tenure began with remarkable success, winning 11 out of 12 matches in the ICC Cricket League 2. However, the new cycle of League 2 proved disappointing, as the team managed to win only 2 out of 12 matches, lost 8, and had 2 matches concluded as ‘No Result.
During his two-year tenure, the Nepali cricket team retained its ODI status, played in the Asia Cup for the first time, and qualified for the T20 World Cup after a decade. However, recently, the team under Desai’s guidance struggled to perform well, and it was learned that CAN was not in favour of renewing his contract. On February 1, CAN officially announced the decision.
With slogans like Happy Dressing Room and One Ball Battle, Desai supported Nepali players and helped them gain global exposure. The dream of playing against cricketing giants like India and Pakistan was also realized during his tenure.
Desai, who coached the Rajasthan Royals from 2008 to 2015, had previously worked closely with the Nepali cricket team. He served as the batting consultant for the senior team and, in 2017, as the batting advisor for the U19 team. Before coming to Nepal, Desai was a batting consultant for Afghanistan and Canada and held the position of batting coach for the West Indies.
Monty Desai’s tenure can be analysed in two parts.
First Phase: Success in League 2, the Premier League, the Asia Cup, and the T20 World Cup Qualifiers.
Second Phase: A winless World Cup, failure to reach the final of the Premier League, not qualifying for the Asia Cup and Emerging Cup, and a weak performance in the new cycle of League 2.
The rise
Let’s begin with the success. Before Monty Desai was appointed as head coach, Nepal’s performance was inconsistent. Their performance in League 2 was poor, and they were at risk of losing their ODI status. Desai’s main goal was to retain the ODI status and help Nepal qualify for the World Cup.
When Desai took charge, Nepal’s performance improved significantly in a very short time. In the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, Nepal won 11 out of 12 matches, securing their ODI status and qualifying for the global World Cup qualifier. Desai’s coaching received appreciation from all over the world.
Under his guidance, Nepal’s batting performance also improved. In his first three matches as coach, Nepal scored over 270 runs in each game. For the first time in history, Nepal crossed the 300-run mark in an ODI, scoring 310 runs against Oman in the Premier Cup. In total, Nepal surpassed 250 runs in 10 matches under Desai’s leadership.
After an outstanding performance in League 2, Nepal delivered a phenomenal performance in the ACC Premier Cup 2023 on home ground. Nepal became champion and qualified for the ACC Cup.
During the Asia Cup, Nepal played against powerhouses like India and Pakistan. Nepal played well against both the teams.
Similarly, Nepal reached the final of the World Cup Qualifiers on home soil and qualified for the World Cup for the second time in history. Nepal secured victory against the UAE at the Mulpani International Cricket Ground.
In June 2024, Nepal delivered an outstanding performance against South Africa. They came remarkably close to victory but narrowly lost the match by just one run.
The fall
During Desai’s tenure Nepal’s cricket was progressing. But as said it is hard to maintain consistency, lately, the team under the guidance of Monty Desai could not perform as well as it used to earlier.
In the 12 matches of League Nepal only won two matches, lost eight and two matches concluded as no result.
During the AFC Cup 2024, held in Oman, Nepal could not replicate the performance they delivered when they played the tournament for the first time on their home ground.
Nepal won all four matches in the group stage. However, a loss against the UAE in the semi-final prevented them from reaching the final and qualifying for the Asia Cup. Similarly, in the third-place match, Nepal suffered a defeat against Hong Kong, missing out on qualification for the Emerging Cup.
Recently, Nepal toured the USA and Canada for League 2 matches but managed to win only one out of eight games. In their last participation in League 2 in October, Nepal secured a victory against Scotland but suffered a defeat against the USA. Additionally, their match against Scotland was canceled due to rainfall.
After the T20 World Cup in America last year, there was growing pressure to remove Monty Desai as head coach, even from within the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). He started to receive criticism, but as the date for the new cycle of League 2 was approaching and his contract still remained, CAN decided not to remove him.
In recent times, Nepal’s team did not have any international matches to play. Considering this as an appropriate time to make a change, CAN decided not to renew his contract.
