Sandeep Lamichhane, the highly-rated 18-year-old leg-spinner from Nepal, added another feather to his cap when he was signed up by Melbourne Stars for the Big Bash League 2018-19.
Stars announced two new signings on Tuesday morning, the other being 21-year-old Matt Parkinson of England, another bright young leg-spinner.
Lamichhane, one of the most exciting young cricketers in the world, has already played franchise cricket in many countries: India (Delhi Daredevils), Hong Kong (Kowloon Cantons), the West Indies (St Kitts & Nevis Patriots), Nepal (Lalitpur Patriots), Canada (Montreal Tigers) and recently at the Afghanistan Premier League for Nangarhar Leopards.
Thank you @MClarke23 Brother 😊 https://t.co/bFwlEBluBt
— Sandeep Lamichhane (@Sandeep25) October 23, 2018
He has signed up with Stars as well as Sylhet Sixers in the Bangladesh Premier League, and with the two tournaments overlapping, he will divide his time between Australia and Bangladesh. When he goes off to Bangladesh, Parkinson will fill in for him at Stars.
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“I am delighted to be joining the Stars, it has always been a dream to play at the MCG. I am very excited to join the team,” said Lamichhane.
Stars are as excited, with Trent Woodhill, the team’s List Manager, saying, “I first saw Sandeep bowl for Nepal in the Asian U19 Championships in Malaysia and was immediately impressed by both his skill as a wrist spinner and also his energy.
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Lamichhane, just 18, has already played franchise cricket in many parts of the world[/caption]
“Lamichhane had a successful IPL debut for Delhi and bowled well in the CPL. We have high expectations that he will light up the BBL and become a star of the tournament.”
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On Parkinson, Woodhill was as effusive, saying, “I watched Matt bowl for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast this season where he helped them reach the semi finals with some dominant performances.”
Lamichhane has already made a splash in international cricket, especially in ODIs, where he has eight wickets from three games. He was key to Nepal securing ODI status by picking up 13 wickets in six games at the World Cup qualifiers earlier this year in Zimbabwe, which came just two years after he picked up 14 wickets in six games at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup.
