Nepal’s spinning sensation, Sandeep Lamichhane, was adjudged the Player of the Series award after the completion of the Asian Cricket Council Men’s Premier Cup 2023. Lamichhane managed 55 runs and 13 wickets throughout the series.
Lamichhane played a crucial role in helping Nepal clinch the ACC Premier Cup. The Nepalese cricket team booked a spot in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 on Tuesday after a win against UAE in the final. In the rain-halted final match, the home side defeated UAE by seven wickets on reserve day at TU Cricket Ground.
Nepal will join India and Pakistan in the Group A of the Asia Cup to be held in September. Also, Nepal, along with UAE and Oman, are confirmed to play ACC Emerging Cup, becoming the top three teams of the Premier Cup.
UAE’s Vriitya Aravind ended as the highest run scorer with 454 runs. Meanwhile, Oman’s speedster Bilal Khan grabbed 17 wickets, becoming the highest wicket-taker.
Sandeep started the tournament with a 3/48 against Malaysia. He then scored eight runs and grabbed three wickets against Oman in Nepal’s 50th ODI match. The leggie became the fastest bowler to complete 100 ODI wickets surpassing Rashid Khan in the same match.
Nepal’s third clash against Saudi Arabia was washed out without a single ball being bowled. Lamichhane received a Player Of The Match (POTM) award against Qatar in the fourth match. He scored 42*, rescuing his side from 110/9 and pocketed a fifer (5/14) in the second inning.
He made five runs and didn’t bowl Nepal’s semi-final match against Kuwait. Finally, Lamichhane managed a spell of 10-2-34-2 in the decisive match against UAE.
Lamichhane also holds a record of taking a wicket in most consecutive ODI matches. He extended the streak to 33 matches after picking up a wicket against UAE. He surpassed the previous record of 25 matches held by Brett Lee.
