Former Nepal captain Gyanendra Malla retires from international cricket

Former captain of the Nepal cricket team Gyanendra Malla hung his international boots on Friday, August 4. Malla's announcement brought an end to more than a nine-year-long cricketing career that saw him play for Nepal both in T20Is and One-Day Internationals (ODIS).

The 32-year-old batter played 37 ODIs and aggregated 876 runs at an average of 24.33 and a strike rate measuring 66.46 with the help of five half-centuries. The top-order batter also featured in 45 T20Is for his country and amassed 883 runs at a strike rate of 120.29 and an average of 23.23, including a ton that came against Bhutan at Kirtipur on December 5, 2019. He also scored two half-centuries in his T20I playing career.

He starred on his T20I debut as he scored a 41-ball 48, including four fours and one maximum and contributed to Nepal's victory over Hong Kong by a mammoth 80-run margin. On the



other hand, his ODI debut came much later in August 2018 when Nepal took on the Netherlands in Amstelveen. Just like his T20I debut, Malla made his ODI debut special too as he became the first Nepal batter to score a half-century in ODI cricket. He also represented Nepal in two U-19 World Cups - 2006 and 2008.

The former captain had a memorable 2006 U-19 World Cup edition as he played a handy knock of 46 in one of the plate semifinals against South Africa and helped his side pick up a two-run victory. He was also a part of Nepal's playing XI that won the Plate final two days later against New Zealand by one wicket.

Malla penned a heartfelt note on Twitter thanking all his teammates and support staff for their constant support throughout the entirety of his playing career. His last ODI game came against Ireland in Harare on July 4 during the ODI World Cup Qualifiers.