In a competitive world, the camaraderie shown by athletes on the field has always sustained us. In one such fine example, a Nepali cricketer is praised online for supporting the ‘spirit of cricket’ in a T20 match with Ireland.
During the Oman Quadrangular T20 series at the Al Amerat cricket ground in Muscat, Nepali wicketkeeper Md Aasif Sheikh had a chance to fire Ireland’s Andy McBrine. During the 19th, drummer Mark Adair tried to hit a Kamal Singh Airee delivery hard, but failed. Adair and McBrine decided to take a quick single and as pacer Airee quickly tried to catch the ball and attempted a run, he accidentally collided with McBrine.
Even though the pacer kicked the ball in time to Sheikh, the wicketkeeper opted not to take the bails off, allowing McBrine to reach the crease safely.
Hopefully this moment will win” @ICC Spirit of the Year Award” for @CricketNep. @CricketBadge was spot on with his comments in the comment box.
A moment to cherish @Sandeep25 . Good game #Cricket @cricketireland #OmanCricket @ICC @momocricket pic.twitter.com/FvqMTGnJO5
— Abhishek Shekhawat (@abhi07cricket) February 14, 2022
“I got goosebumps here in the comment box because this is a touching moment. It was accidental, and he could have kicked it out here,” the commentator was heard saying as the time has passed.
“And Aasif Sheikh said, ‘No,’ he won’t because of the spirit of the game. This is your nominee for the Spirit of Cricket Award for 2022 for the ICC,” the commentator added.
Cricket commentator Andrew Leonard then took to Twitter to explain why the moment was special and worth highlighting. “Nepal may have lost the game but they have undoubtedly won the hearts of the cricketing world,” he tweeted. Praising Nepalese skipper Sandeep Lamichhane, Leonard added that he was the one who asked Sheikh not to miss McBrine. “It was Lamichhane who went to shake Andy’s hand immediately,” Leonard added.
2/9) Nepal may have lost the match but they have undoubtedly captured the hearts of the cricketing world.
One thing I couldn’t hear back then was the new captain🇳🇵 @Sandeep25 also ask Aasif Sheikh not to miss McBrine, and it was Lamichhane who went to shake hands with Andy immediately pic.twitter.com/Qz86FofBsi
— Andrew Leonard (@CricketBadge) February 15, 2022
The heartwarming moment caught the attention of not only the commentator but also cricket fans around the world. Eventually, Nepal lost the game to Ireland by 16 points but surely won hearts online because of Sheikh’s decision.
—Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) February 15, 2022
What sportsmanship 🙏🙏 https://t.co/gqatC7GMKr
– Debasis Pradhan (@Debasis19240863) February 16, 2022
Great spirit….that’s why cricket is called gentleman’s game….
🤘 https://t.co/4BxHpGfCpW—Himanshu (@Himanshu_m8) February 15, 2022
So happy to see young cricketers playing the sport in the spirit of the game. Kudos to the wicketkeeper.
— Uday Amirapu (@UdayAmirapu) February 16, 2022
Credit goes to the players involved and the coaches who trained them. Set an example for others to follow. True sportsmanship displayed by a so-called associated nation.
— Anand Sathiyamurthy (@anandloginit) February 14, 2022
It’s good to see that he hopes that one day Nepal will make it to the World Cup.
— mufaaz yousuf (@smufaaz) February 15, 2022
When was the last time we saw such a move in cricket? I really don’t remember… well done 👍 Nepal wicket keeper
—Khan (@Khanmohammed12) February 15, 2022
It’s the spirit that keeps the game alive.
Yes, we all play to win but not to win by unfair means.
Cricket and all other games teach us humanity and humility.
Congratulations to Asif Sheikh, the wicketkeeper for defending the values of cricket!
It’s the game, I know.— Shahab Jafri (@ShahabJafri55) February 15, 2022
more surprising is the fact that commentators actually expected Asif not to miss it. they said it even before the ball was in his gloves 🤯
— Divyesh Sharma (@divyeshsharma) February 15, 2022
Such a good comment to go with it. @ICC look to get voices like these for high-profile events.
— Akbar Manjyani (@Akbarmanjyani) February 15, 2022
These are big lessons for cricketers on big teams, learn from this small team. Very good spirits manifested
—SANTHOSH KUMAR DEEP (@SANTHOS56661073) February 16, 2022
