Mumbai, February 10 Nepal captain Rohit Paudel called for more international engagements for his team on Tuesday, following their valiant effort against England in the T20 World Cup opener two days ago.
Nepal, who had lost to South Africa by just one run in the previous T20 World Cup, came close to defeating another Test-playing nation in England but lost by just four runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
"After the match against South Africa in the World Cup, we only played a series against the West Indies—a Test-playing country," Paudel told reporters on Tuesday.
"Over the two years, we didn't get that exposure and experience that we thought we would after that World Cup. But unfortunately, we couldn't. It is very important for us to gain exposure and experience by playing against some of the top teams and testing our skills."
"If we get the opportunity to play regularly against them—(maybe) in a year I would say at least one or two series—so that we can test ourselves, that would be very good. I hope that after this World Cup, it changes," he said.
Paudel said that it would be "very important" if top teams like Australia, England, or India toured Nepal for bilateral cricket.
"It will be very important, especially if an Australian or an English team comes to Nepal," he said.
"That will show the world of cricket that Nepal also plays cricket and plays decent cricket, and this World Cup has shown that. In the last World Cup, we played decently, and this World Cup, we came back much stronger."
"If Australia, England, or India come, our cricket will grow, and it will help to globalise cricket more," he added.
When asked which of the two matches—against South Africa and England—brought more attention, Paudel could not distinguish between the two.
"Both those events have given more attention to Nepali cricket. Against South Africa, it was the first time we came so close to beating them," he said.
"(In the) last game against England, it has given a lot more attention as you mentioned that Dale Steyn and other legends have also mentioned about Nepali cricket and the talent of the players," he added.
Paudel also underlined the importance of the Nepal Premier League T20 competition, which has helped the players develop their skills.
"For Nepali players, it is a very important competition because it is one of the best tournaments in Nepal in the T20 format, and players like Lokesh (Bam) and local players who don't often get opportunities to play in the Nepal national team, get exposure and experience," he said.