Former India pace bowler Manoj Prabhakar takes over as Nepal cricket team head coach

The Nepal Cricket Association on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of former India pace bowler Manoj Prabhakar as Nepal cricket team head coach.

The Nepal Cricket Association in their statement said, "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 the Afghanistan Cricket Team along with Ranji Trophy teams of Delhi, Rajasthan and UP Cricket Association."


It is not the first time Prabhakar is coaching an international team. According to the ICC, he has served as bowling coach for Afghanistan in 2016. The former India pace bowler has also represented the country in 169 internationals. After his retirement he worked as a head coach for three Ranji Trophy teams.

Currently, Nepal Men's cricket team is placed second from the bottom in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 table, with eight wins in 20 matches. Nepal cricket has been struggling in international cricket, they have missed out on qualification to the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia, with Ireland and UAE making it from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier A tournament in Oman.

Prabhakar said that the talent in Nepal cricket was something that excited him. "Seeing the interest for cricket in Nepal, their talent and 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."

Before Prabhakar's appointment, the Nepal cricket team was succeeded by 52-year-old former Sri Lanka Test wicketkeeper-batter Pubudu Dassanayake. Dassanayake has recently stepped down from his position and took over as the head coach of the Canada men's team.