2003 World Cup winner joins Nepal team for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026

Nepal cricket team has got a massive boost in less than a month before the beginning of their journey in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, as the former Australian cricketer, a member of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 winners, joins the Nepal coaching staff.

Ian Harvey joins Nepal as bowling consultant

The former Australian all-rounder Ian Harvey has joined the Nepal team as the bowling consultant for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The 53-year-old was a right-handed batter and right-arm medium pacer who was a member of the Australian team that won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, which was hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. In that tournament, he played six games (including all Super Six fixtures and the Semi-final), where he scored 66 runs and took eight wickets. 

After making his debut for Australia in December 1997, Harvey played 73 ODIs, where he scored 715 runs with an average of 17.87 and also picked up 85 wickets, including four four-wicket hauls. 

In his cricket career, Harvey scored 8409 first-class runs, 5977 List A runs, and 1470 T20 runs. Apart from 15 first-class centuries, including his highest score of 209 not out, the right-handed batter also hit two List A hundreds and three T20 centuries. Moreover, the right-arm medium pacer recorded 425 first-class wickets, 445 List A wickets, and 52 T20 wickets. In his first-class career, he recorded 15 fifers and two 10-wicket hauls, while he also claimed nine fifers in his List A career. Harvey also recorded one four-fer in his T20 career.   

T20 World Cup 2026: This KKR star can be ideal to replace Washington Sundar

Do You Know: Ian Harvey was first batter to hit T20 century

Ian Harvey was the first cricketer to record a T20 century, back in 2003, serving for Gloucestershire against Warwickshire. He was also the first batter to record multiple T20 hundreds. 

Harvey is set join the Nepal team, where the head coach is another former Australian cricketer Stuart Law, who was a member of the Australian team in the 1996 World Cup, which finished as runners-up. Harvey previously coached Gloucestershire.  

Nepal are in Group C in ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026

India and Sri Lanka will host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 from February 7 to March 8. Nepal are in Group C along with England, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Italy. Nepal will start their tournament journey with the match against England on February 8, and then they will face Italy, the West Indies, and Bangladesh on February 12, 15, and 17, respectively.