Manish Raj Pandey
{{short description|Former Nepalese cricketer}}
{{Infobox cricketer|name=Manish Raj Pandey
मनिष राज पाण्डे|image=File:ManishRajPandey(2019).jpg|caption=Pandey speaking at the CPAN Cricket Awards, 2019|image_size=|full_name=Manish Raj Pandey|birth_date={{birth date and age|df=yes|1970|12|05}}|birth_place=Biratnagar, Nepal|batting=Right-handed|bowling=Right-arm medium-fast|role=All-rounder|country=Nepal|international=true|internationalspan=1996}}
{{Use dmy dates|date = June 2020}}
Manish Raj Pandey ({{Langx|ne|मनिष राज पाण्डे}}; born 5 December 1970) is a Nepalese conservationist, cricket administrator and former cricketer. He is the president of the Cricket Players' Association Nepal since 2018 and president of the Bhaktapur District Cricket Association since August 2023.
All-rounder Pandey played as a right-handed opening batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He made his debut for Nepal against Bangladesh in September 1996.{{Cite web|last=Pandey|first=Binod|date=5 September 2020|title=नेपाली क्रिकेटको २५ वर्ष : त्यो पहिलो अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय प्रतियोगिता|url=https://ekantipur.com/sports/2020/09/05/159927325353058116.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-09-08|website=ekantipur.com|publisher=Kantipur|language=ne}}{{Cite web|title=The Home of CricketArchive|url=https://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/102/102621.html|access-date=2020-06-30|website=www.cricketarchive.co.uk}}
Playing career
Born in Biratnagar, Pandey actively participated in national level cricket championships as a regular player representing Koshi zone and Morang district from 1988 to 2000. He also successfully led Morang district and Youth Cricket Club, Biratnagar teams as a captain.
Pandey was part of the playing XI in Nepal's first ever official international match during the 1996 Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Trophy in Kuala Lumpur, against Bangladesh, on 6 September 1996. Nepal finished fourth out of six teams in their first round group in this competition, beating Japan and Brunei. Pandey, with his opening partner Pawan Agarwal at the other end, faced Nepal's first ever delivery in international cricket. He took one wicket, returning figures of 1/31 in 8 overs in his debut match and scored 13 runs including the first ever six hit by a Nepalese batsman, with a flick over deep backward square leg.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=8 June 2003|title=International Journey of Nepalese Cricket|url=https://www.chautari.org/forums/topic/2942-internation-journey-of-nepalese-cricket/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Nepali Students Chautari|language=en-US}}
Pandey became the first ever Nepalese cricketer to receive a player of the match award in an international cricket match, when he hit 27 runs and took 1 wicket against Japan on 7 September 1996.{{Cite web|url=https://wicketnepal.com/24-year-ago-today-nepal-1st-match-vs-bng-wn20/|title=२४ वर्ष अघि आजकै दिन नेपाली क्रिकेट टिमले पहिलो अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय खेल खेलेको थियो|last=Rayamajhi|first=Birat Jung|date=6 September 2020|website=WicketNepal|language=ne|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411080111/https://wicketnepal.com/24-year-ago-today-nepal-1st-match-vs-bng-wn20/|archive-date=2021-04-11|access-date=2020-09-08|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title='Historic Day: On this day in 1996, Manish Raj Pandey became Nepal's first ever Man of the Match in international cricket during the 1996 ACC Trophy' by Routine of Nepal banda|url=https://www.facebook.com/officialroutineofnepalbanda/posts/3047983301901109|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-30|website=www.facebook.com|language=en}} His best bowling performance was 3/22 against Brunei on 11 September 1996. He took 5 wickets during the 1996 ACC Trophy.
Post-playing career
Pandey currently serves as the president of the Cricket Players' Association Nepal (CPAN) since March 2018.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=CPAN - Executive Committee|url=http://thecpan.com/post/view?post_slug=executive-committee|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Cricket Players' Association Nepal (CPAN)}}{{Cite web|date=2018-03-26|title=Pandey elected prez|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/manish-raj-pandey-elected-president-cricket-player-association-nepal/|access-date=2020-06-30|website=The Himalayan Times|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Cricket and Conservation Come Together|url=https://ntnc.org.np/news/cricket-and-conservation-come-together|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-30|website=National Trust for Nature Conservation|language=en}} On 10 August 2023, he was elected president of the Bhaktapur District Cricket Association.{{Cite web |title=क्रिकेट संघ चुनाव : काठमाडौंमा घले र भक्तपुरमा पाण्डे |url=http://ekantipur.com/sports/2023/08/15/169211629028015444.html |access-date=2023-09-09 |website=ekantipur.com |language=ne}}{{Cite web |title=भक्तपुर जिल्ला क्रिकेट संघको अध्यक्षमा मनिषराज पाण्डे निर्वाचित |url=https://www.onlinekhabar.com/2023/08/1350786 |access-date=2023-09-09 |website=Online Khabar |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Setopati |first=सेतोपाटी संवाददाता |title=भक्तपुर जिल्ला क्रिकेट संघको अध्यक्षमा मनिषराज पाण्डे |url=https://www.setopati.com/sports/cricket/309419/ |access-date=2023-09-09 |website=Setopati |language=en-US}}
Outside cricket, Pandey works as a conservationist with the National Trust for Nature Conservation, where he heads the Department of Climate Change and Knowledge Management.{{Cite web |title=Our Team |url=https://ntnc.org.np/our-team |access-date=2023-09-09 |website=ntnc.org.np |language=en}} He also holds a Ph.D. degree in Natural Science.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=OUC Alumnus Wins Nepal's Presidential Honor Award for Excellence in Academic|url=http://eweb.ouc.edu.cn/93/c4/c900a37828/page.psp|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Ocean University of China}}
References
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