Former Indian all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar appointed head coach of Nepal's cricket team

Former Indian cricketer and Ranji Trophy-winning coach Manoj Prabhakar has been appointed as the new head coach of Nepal men's cricket team. The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) confirmed the development of Monday. Notably, Prabhakar had also previously served as Afghanistan's bowling coach for a brief period in 2016. 

In his new role as Nepal's head coach, Prabhakar takes over the reins from Pubudu Dassanayake, who initially served his first tenure from 2011 to 2016.

He was again reappointed in 2021, having guided the Nepali side from Division Four of the World Cricket League (WCL) to Division One, the WCL Championship. He also took the team to their first major ICC tournament, the 2014 T20 World Cup. 

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However, Prabhakar takes over the Nepali team at a time when Kathmandu is struggling in international cricket. Earlier, Nepal missed the qualification match for the 2022 ICC Men`s T20 World Cup. 

The veteran coach, however, hopes to transform Nepal into a force, not to be reckoned with. Prabhakar said, "Seeing the interest for cricket in Nepal, their talent & skill level, I`m really looking forward to working with the Nepal cricket team to make them into a cricketing force to be reckoned with." 

Earlier, the CAN released a statement confirming the former Indian all-rounder's appointment as their new head coach. 

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"Former Indian star all-rounder and Ranji trophy winning coach, Mr. Manoj Prabhakar from India has been appointed as the Head Coach of Nepal National Cricket Team. Mr. Prabhakar has played 39 Test matches and 130 One Day Internationals for India. As a Coach, he has experience of working as coach of Afghanistan Cricket Team along with Ranji Trophy teams of Delhi, Rajasthan and UP Cricket Association," read the statement. 

Prabhakar had made his Team India debut back in April 1984, in an ODI against Sri Lanka at Sharjah. Later, he made his Test debut in December 1984. By the time of of his retirement, the 59-year-old had amassed 169 caps for his country across formats. 

With agency inputs