Kathmandu, Aug. 8 -- Madhu Tamang dug his thumbs into the black clay, feeling for roots on the pitches at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Friday morning.

Around Tamang, ground staff stripped away topsoil-scraping the pitch down to its foundation to yank out dead vegetation before transplanting fresh local grass taken from inside the 30-yard circle.

"Ground staff have removed the ruined soil all the way down to the roots while preparing the new pitch, after which they started planting grass, which will be completed today," said Roshan Kumar Singh, vice president of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and tournament coordinator for the U19 World Cup preparations.

For two years, this strip of dirt h...