Nepal Government had made an announcement to reward the U-19 women´s team with cash incentive on February 16. [break]
Handing over the awards at his official residence at Baluwatar, Prime Minister Bhattarai called the winning players ´national heroines´.
"Our country is going through different kinds of crises, everyone is getting pessimistic. In this scenario, we are in need of national heroes and heroines," said the PM.
"Your victory gave the country a sigh of relief as it gave us a chance to keep our heads up," he added.
PM Bhattarai described himself as a cricket fan and said that cricket has a good scope in Nepal. "Cricket could allow Nepal to become a World Cup playing nation. The government has to keep it on its priority and the current government will try to develop the game," said the PM.
During the ceremony, Youth and Sports Minister Kamala Roka said, "The third consecutive victory in the ACC U-19 Women´s Championship underscores our potential of a bright future in sports."
The team captain Rubina Chhetri gave her vote of thanks to the government of Nepal. "This award will energize us to play better cricket in the future," said Chhetri.
The government of Nepal awarded 14 players, a coach and two officials of the team.
During the program, General Secretary of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), Ashok Nath Pyakuryal, asked the government to provide further support to CAN in order to emulate the success at the senior level.
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