ICC says Nepal U19 captain Raju Rijal eligible to play

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that Nepal captain Raju Rijal is eligible to play in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officials and a Ranji Trophy player Kaustubh Pawar had alleged that Raju Rijal is a man called Raju Sharma, who had captained Mumbai U-15 back in 2000 and should be aged around 25-26 years. However, ICC has allowed Rijal to continue playing in the tournament.

The ICC said it spoke with the chief executive of CAN, Rijal and Nepal team manager Sudeep Sharma. The documents the ICC reviewed included copies of his passport and birth certificate, issued by the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, and a signed age-determination declaration.

According to a press release on its website, “The ICC has spoken with the Chief Executive of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), concerned player and the Nepal Team Manager, and has again reviewed the documents which were submitted by the CAN before the start of the competition. These documents include copies of his passport and birth certificate, which were issued by the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, as well as a signed age determination declaration. According to the official documents, Raju Rijal is born on 26 September 1996. Players born on or after 1 September 1996, are eligible to participate in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016.”

On Monday, the 25-year-old Mumbai cricketer Kaustubh Pawar had alleged that Rijal was overage, claiming on social media that he had played with Rijal – then named Raju Sharma – in an Under-15 tournament. “We played together in under 15 for Mumbai and now he is captain of Nepal under 19 team and we others are 24-25 age respectively,” Pawar’s post had said. “In Mumbai Raju Sharma, In Nepal Raju Rijal.”