Sompal Kami is very excited to play in the World Cup for the third time in a row. He has reached the world cricket again, representing Nepal. He is different from other Nepali cricketers this time. Sompal is entering the field with the record of being the only Nepali player to appear in all three World Cup competitions played by Nepal.

Did Sompal imagine playing all three World Cups that Nepal has played? Stating that the desire to continue playing the World Cup has not died down yet, he says, ‘There is still a lot to do. This is just the beginning, we have just played two World Cups in a row. Nepal still has many World Cups to play.’ 

Within a year of returning from India, Sompal was included in the Nepali team and played the 2014 World Cup in Bangladesh. After that, it took 10 years for Nepal to return to the Twenty20 World Cup. Two years ago, Sompal was the only one to play in the last Twenty20 World Cup that Nepal played, when he played in the US and the West Indies. He is now the most experienced player in the Nepali team. 

‘The 2014 World Cup gave identity not only to me, but also to Nepali cricket. Everyone, including me, got their debut Twenty20 International caps at that time. That’s when I was given the name Gulmi Express,’ Sompal recalled, ‘Nepali cricket also developed from then on. It was then that Nepali fans and world cricket also came to know that we play cricket. I am proud of the contribution I have made in bringing Nepali cricket to this point. Nepali cricket has also given me a lot. If I had not played for Nepali cricket, I would have been a different person, I would not have gotten what I wanted in life. Nepali cricket has given me everything till now.'

Sompal joined Nepali cricket when coach Pubudu Dassanayake was looking for a fast bowler. His fame increased even more after he bowled at a speed of 140 per hour against Afghanistan in the 2014 World Cup. 'At that time, I did not even know that I could bowl at that speed. At the age of 17-18, bowling at that speed in the World Cup was a different experience, when I was not even a full-fledged bowler. I started cricket as a batter and also used to bowl,” said Sompal. “It was only after I reached the hotel in the evening after the game that I found out from social media that I had bowled at a speed of 140.” He is very happy that he is now able to continue bowling at the same pace. 

Its importance was different at that time. Bowling at a speed of 140, continuing it and playing are different things for him. If he had tried to increase this speed to a speed of 150, he feels that he could have fallen into bed by now. He understands that maintaining his body in that way is another aspect. Sompal considers maintaining line and length more than bowling at a speed of 140 as an achievement.

Sompal says that the 2024 World Cup journey is very emotional for Nepal. It took us 10 years to play the next World Cup after 10 years of playing the first World Cup, which also made the Nepali team emotional, says Sompal. The result was neither what Sompal wanted, nor what Nepal expected. Sompal looks for a positive side in this too. 

‘Before the match with South Africa, the Bangladeshi team did not even try to see us, did not give us any value. We were all in the same hotel, there was no response from the Bangladeshi players beyond a good morning. We lost only the last over to South Africa, we won the rest of the match. When we returned to the hotel, Bangladesh finally tried to come and talk to the Nepali team,’ Sompal thought that day, ‘You don’t have to win to get respect.’ 

‘Despite that, Bangladesh had given an interview saying that they would play against Nepal by dominating. They had tried to dominate from the first ball. But cricket is not that easy, it is not as easy as they thought or said. The way they tried to play, we were also going to play with a different psychology. Since it was a Twenty20 match, we were sure that we could win too. Even though we could not get a result, we played that match very well. It seems that the last 2 overs were the reason why we were unable to get the result,' Sompal elaborated. 

The match against South Africa kept coming to Sompal's dreams after returning to Nepal. For 1-2 months, his eyes kept watering. He had not even left his house. He says this was the first time in his life.

'When I walked outside, people looked at me as if it was my fault or that I had committed a crime. It takes time to get out of such a situation. When we lost a game that was so close to victory, it hurt the fans, but it hurt us more,' Sompal said, 'We had worked so hard for this, in the end, it was as if that result was taken away from us. It was difficult to accept. In cricket, it is necessary to move on from such a situation.' 

Nepal had booked its World Cup journey by defeating UAE in the semi-finals in Mulpani. But Nepal lost to Oman in the final in Kirtipur. That's why this time, when going to Oman, Sompal told Gulshan Jha, 'Last time, Oman defeated us at home, this time we will defeat Oman at their home and become champions.' People may take this as arrogance, but he argues that it should be taken as inspiration. If any team defeats them at home, it is important to experience the pain. That is why Sompal says that he went to Oman with a different mentality when he went to play in the World Cup Asia qualifiers. Nepal won all 6 matches, including Oman, in the World Cup Asia-Pacific qualifiers held in Oman and was confirmed for the World Cup in India. 

Born in Gulmi, Sompal's family moved to Punjab when he was 3. He learned the ropes of cricket there. At the age of 12, he played for Punjab's U-14 provincial team at Wankhede, that too as a batsman. He still remembers scoring 45 runs and taking 2 wickets in a match against Maharashtra. Nepal's coach Stuart Law had asked Sompal about this. In response, Sompal had said that this was an incident many years ago.  There are 10 members of the Nepali team that played the 2024 World Cup, including Sompal. Sompal considers himself lucky to have formed such a team. ‘It took 8-10 years to form this team, but people think it took 10 years to play the World Cup,’ Sompal sees a difference in understanding. ‘This team was formed because the players in the team showed trust in each other. 

Kanwarpal Tathagur used to play with Sompal in Punjab. He has now come to India from Canada to play in the World Cup. In a practice match against Nepal in Chennai, Kanwarpal scored 25 runs in 24 balls, while Sompal took 1 wicket in 3 overs, costing 25 runs. The Twenty20 World Cup being held in India has become a reunion for these two. 

Sompal has brought his mother, sister and wife to Mumbai to watch his and Nepal's matches. ‘This is a special moment not only for me but also for my family. I had this dream 2 years ago. Let my family support me and the Nepali team from the stands,’ said Sompal, who was unable to take his wife to the US due to visa issues two years ago. Karan’s family will also be with Sompal’s family. 

Sompal recently met a well-wisher. When Sompal ‘debuted’ from Nepal, he was studying in school. But while Sompal is still playing, he has completed his master’s degree in studies. Sompal, who has been playing for the Nepali team for 12 years, has been playing for 30 years. How many more will Sompal play?

‘Don’t get tired of seeing me, because I am not tired yet. I have seen me tired on television, but I will never stop playing cricket. I will never stop in life. As long as my body supports me, I will keep playing. I will continue to play as long as Nepali cricket needs me,' Sompal is clear about his future, 'My fitness and performance will also depend on it, I will continue to work on that. I wanted to represent the Nepali team, I consider myself lucky to have played for so many years. Only a few get this opportunity to represent the nation for 10-12 years.'