A week in the life of a 16-year-old cricket player from Nepal — Assembly

Last week, Nisha competed for Team Nepal at the Street Child Cricket World Cup in Cambridge, U.K. The tournament uses the power of cricket to tackle the stigma faced by street-connected children and to encourage countries, governments and communities to better support them. For her edition of Roll Call, Nisha describes what it was like to play in the tournament.

Wednesday

I woke up at 6:30 a.m., I gathered all my friends and had breakfast at the hotel. My team and I then travelled to a school where we practiced cricket for a few hours. We practiced cricket in Nepal as well, but the way we did it this morning was quite different and it was quite helpful.

After lunch at St. Paul’s, we then travelled to another school where we took part in a drumming session. I also have two roommates from different countries. It was interesting to learn more about them and about their experience at the Street Child Cricket World Cup.

Thursday

The day before today I was told to be ready early for the morning. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and had my breakfast. I was told we’d be doing a lot of activities today. I got on the bus to London and we visited the Houses of Parliaments, where there was a lovely spread of food. I especially enjoyed the ceremony in the Houses of Parliaments where we listened to other street-connected children who shared their stories. I really liked a song that was performed by Team Bangladesh.

I really enjoyed sightseeing in London — I saw a lot of squirrels and dogs. One of the most memorable moments of today was seeing the monuments across London dedicated to World War I and II soldiers, especially monuments dedicated to the British Gurkhas which includes Nepalese soldiers. Team Tanzania also came today and we welcomed them in the park. When we got back to Cambridge we prepared for the opening ceremony of the Street Child Cricket World Cup.

Friday

Today we started the day a bit later than yesterday. We started at 9 a.m. and we had congress the whole day today. In congress we talked about problems that street-children face around the globe and solutions to them. We also prepared a presentation which featured something unique about Nepal banner made of cloth. We painted mountains, rivers and temples on the banner. It was also wonderful to understand the messages and experiences of friends from other countries.

Saturday

It was the start of the Street Child Cricket World Cup today, so we woke up early. The opening ceremony was brilliant. I really liked that the names were called and when we went around the grounds people cheered for us.

Our first game of the day was against the hosts, England, which we lost. Unfortunately, we lost all the games we had today, but it was by pretty small margins. The team strength is increasing per match and even though we lost, I don’t think the team feel let down as we’re grateful for this opportunity.

Because of the heavy rain, when I was batting there were times when I couldn’t see the ball because of the raindrops falling. It was very cold unlike other days – I’m not used to this type of weather this time of the year.

Sunday

We had three matches today. The first match was against Team West Indies, but most of my team members got out early, so we lost the match. Our second match against Team Mauritius helped us secure our first win, which was really exciting. If we had won our third match against Team Bangladesh, there was a chance to qualify for the semifinals, but unfortunately we lost.

The positives from today is that all my teammates played turn by turn, everyone participated and everyone had a chance to show their skills, so that was the best moment for me today. I’m happy we participated in the Street Child Cricket World Cup.

Monday

Today we had congress for most of the day. It was the last day of congress which was very exciting because I had a lot of opportunity to interact with other people. I learnt about speaking in public and I also prepared for my General Assembly speech which I will deliver tomorrow. Team Nepal also performed a traditional Nepalese dance at the late show.

It was the last late show of the tournament and I thought it would take place in the usual venue of St. Paul’s, but it was a surprise when we were taken to larger venue called Cambridge Junction. I was really nervous because the stage and lighting were different. I was also nervous about something going wrong or making a mistake, but fortunately everything went perfectly and everyone enjoyed our performance, which I’m really happy about.

Tuesday

Today morning we had travel to London, so we woke up very early and had our breakfast around 5:30 a.m.. When we arrived at Lord’s Cricket Ground [a prestigious cricket stadium in London], I was surprised, amazed and delighted to see a stadium this big. I was excited to know that we’d be playing on the same ground as famous cricketers.

Team Nepal’s match was scheduled as the second match of the day, so I had some time off and our friends from the Lord’s staff took us to the museum where I saw kits, gloves, jerseys, stumps and bats owned by famous cricketers. We had the opportunity to see and recognize all the famous cricketers.

We had our match against India North after the tour of the museum. Although we lost the match, it was a wonderful opportunity for my team and I to play in a stadium in front of so many people. After our match, I watched the semifinals and the finals against Team England and Team India South, which was really exciting to see friends from other countries play and enjoy the tournament.

After the final, we had the General Assembly which took place in the Thomas Lord Suite. My turn was scheduled after a few people and I saw everyone speak very fluently and confidently, so I was very nervous that I might get stuck on my words. However, when I took to the stage, I was able to speak about the things I prepared yesterday and everyone said I spoke very well. After the General Assembly, we were served food in the Thomas Lord Suite. The food was pretty similar to Nepalese food, which I’ve been missing for a very long time. The food was very tasty and I ate a lot! My most memorable moment of the Street Child Cricket World Cup is sightseeing in London.

Read more from the Street Child World Cup: 15-year-old Celina from Team Mauritius, 18-year-old Jasmin from Team England and 16-year-old Lusi from Team India North.