Kathmandu, Oct. 11 -- On November 21, 2000, Nepal were facing Hong Kong in the semi-final of the 3rd ACC Trophy at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE. It was the first game of Nepal which was broadcast live on Star Sports with former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja in commentary.

Raja, during the innings break after Hong Kong posted 268/3, had some Japanese cricketers in the commentary box. When Raja asked them about the way they grabbed a cricket bat, their demonstration reflected the grip of a baseball bat. It showed that Japan was still learning cricket.

Baseball, with its history in Japan dating back to 1859, is one of Japan's most-loved sports. Cricket, despite being introduced in the island nation in the late 1990s, is still seekin...