Nepal cricket wins ICC award for fan engagement

It is not just the performance of Nepalese cricketers that earned them fans but also an effort on the social media by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).

Thanks to that, the cricket body of the Himalayan nation won the ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year Award which is a part of the Global ICC Development Awards.

“Nepal recorded notable growth even among their passionate fanbase across the year, illustrated by a growth in reach on their Facebook channels of over 400%,” said a statement from the International Cricket Council.

Paras Khadka, former Nepal cricket captain and now secretary of CAN, was quoted as saying by ICC, “Our digital strategies have brought fans closer to the game, meaning a deeper connection and passion for cricket in our country, and this accolade inspires us to continue our mission of growing the game and engaging our fans in new and exciting ways.”

Elaborating on the strategy, Utsav Dhungana, General Manager of CAN, said, “We provide information of the team, like their travel and tickets, whereas we set fan zones where fans and players can interact with each other, engagement on social media where we share live updates from the match… fans are closely following their idols and feel part of the preparation.”

Binod Das, Cricket Manager of CAN said, “In recent past, our social media team has been working very actively behind doors to bring content from our dressing room to players, testimonies to their interviews and all these things. It has helped in connecting us with fans. That is the reason why our social media following is growing day by day. We have got around half a million fans on our social media sites. It is almost reaching a million. It is a testimony to the fact that they’ve been chasing Nepal Cricket for a long, long time. Their effort is helping cricket grow in this country.”

Team captain Rohit Paudel expressed gratitude to the fans who have been following the team.

“I am very proud especially of the way our fans have been supporting us throughout the year and the last couple of years. I am very grateful to them. Last one year they have been coming and supporting us throughout the year in large numbers. That gives us so much motivation to all of us especially to players to give our best. I am very thankful and grateful to all of them.”

ICC Awards, Nepal, Cricket