The duo of Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis will have some reinforcements in their bowling side in the form of Nepal’s magic man with the ball, as the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots campaign to once again reach the finals of the Hero Caribbean Premiere League and maybe win it all this time around.
Seventeen-year-old Sandeep Lamichhane, who will be 18 by the time he travels to the Caribbean, has already had an eventful cricket career at such a young age with much more in store.
Lamichhane has represented his native land, Nepal, a record 25 times and also copped a spot in the Delhi Daredevils’ line-up three times in the 2018 edition of the Indian Premiere League. Additionally, the teenager was selected to play for the World XI in their charity match against the Windies at Lord’s Stadium a few weeks
Sandeep Lamichhane
ago. Now, he will don the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots colours in the 2018 Hero CPL.
During this year’s CPL draft back in February, thousands of Nepalese fans tuned in to witness their local hero being selected for the T20 tournament.
“I was in Zimbabwe then, I was playing World Cup qualifiers and I got lots of messages from well-wishers. By the time I got selected for the CPL everyone was so happy and they were cherishing all these moments,” Lamichhane told CPLT20.com.
The young man even admitted that he has viewed CPL before and is actually a fan of the “biggest party in sport”.
“I used to follow CPL from the beginning and I’ve been selected for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. It’s a big achievement for me, and again a good challenge for me ahead. I hope I’ll make it count, to play with big names; Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis it will be a good booster for me,” he said.
After being asked what he hopes to gain out of the experience, Lamichhane said, “I just want to grow my cricket every time so that I can help Nepal cricket to go on a good high range of cricket. The journey has been good so far and I would like to keep it on the same form so that I can help Nepal cricket.”
He also went on to note that he is optimistic for the future of his home team, “We are now ODI status and we’ve secured ODI status for four years. We are looking forward to make an impact on the international arena so that we can be in the Test playing nation very soon.”
The teenager will bring his expertise on leg spin bowling to the St Kitts franchise, with his best figures being 3-7 in a match up against Hong Kong back in March of this year.
