Former India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar takes over as Nepal head coach

Kathmandu: Former India cricketer Manoj Prabhakar has been appointed as Nepal head coach, the Cricket Association of Nepal said.

Prabhakar will succeed Pubudu Dassanayake, who recently resigned from his position and took over as the head coach of the Canada men's team.

Prabhakar was a bowling all-rounder for India and represented his country in 169 internationals. He has worked as a head coach for three Ranji Trophy teams, and served as bowling coach for Afghanistan in 2016.

Confirming his appointment, a statement by Cricket Association of Nepal read: "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.

"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."

Prabhakar said: "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."

Prabhakar's appointment comes at a pivotal time in Nepal cricket. They have been struggling in international cricket of late, having missed out on qualification to the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, with Ireland and UAE making it from the Qualifier A tournament in Oman. (UNI)