Nepali cricket’s former captain and a successful batsman, Gyanendra Malla, has announced his retirement from international cricket. Gyanendra made this announcement during a press conference held in Kathmandu on Friday.
Gyanendra has decided to retire from all forms of cricket, including domestic cricket. His final game for the Nepali cricket team was played on July 4, 2023, against Ireland.
A highly accomplished technical batsman in the history of Nepali cricket, Gyanendra scored 876 runs, including 7 half-centuries and one century, in 37 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for Nepal.
He made his historic ODI debut against the Netherlands in 2018, scoring 51 runs. In ODIs, Gyanendra became the first Nepali batsman to score a half-century. He scored 883 runs, including one century and two half-centuries, in 45 T20 Internationals (T20Is) for Nepal.
Gyanendra holds the record for the fastest century by a Nepali batsman in T20Is. He achieved this feat in just 20 balls against Malaysia in 2019, surpassing Binod Bhandari’s 25-ball century.
In the 2019 South Asian Games, Gyanendra played a magnificent inning of 107 runs against Bhutan. After consistent poor performances and limited opportunities in recent times, Gyanendra decided to retire.
Former captain Paras Khadka had announced his retirement two years earlier, and now Gyanendra has also decided to take a break from the Nepali cricket team. After Paras stepped down from captaincy, Gyanendra led the team from 2019 until 2021.
As a captain, Gyanendra led Nepal in 12 T20Is, winning 9 matches and losing 3. In 10 ODIs as captain, Nepal won 6 and lost 4. Gyanendra’s notable performance includes scoring six consecutive sixes against Saudi Arabia in the ACC Trophy Elite in 2012.
In 2014 Division Three, he scored a century against Singapore, and in the 2019 SA Games, he was named the Best Batsman of the tournament. Gyanendra was a vital member of the Nepali cricket team from Division Five to T20 World Cup 2014 and ODI status in 2018.
Gyanendra is recognized as one of Nepal’s best technical batsmen in its cricket history. Since 2017 his batting order has been fluctuating. He was not consistent in the opening, top, or middle-order positions. However he remained an essential asset to the team.
Gyanendra represented Nepal in the U-19 World Cups in 2006 and 2008.
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