Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane joins Worcestershire for T20 Blast

The remarkable globe-trotting career of Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane took a new twist Wednesday when it was announced the leg-spinner would have his first stint in county cricket by playing for Worcestershire in the upcoming edition of England’s Twenty20 Blast. Despite still being just 20-years-old and not hailing from a major cricket nation, Lamichhane is now an experienced T20 campaigner, following stints in the Indian Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash League among other domestic competitions. [caption id=“attachment_8815451” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Sandeep Lamichhane has also played in the IPL. Sportzpics[/caption] At Worcestershire, he will be reunited with batsman Riki Wessels after they played together for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League. Lamichhane has taken 125 wickets at an average of under 19 apiece in 96 T20s. “Sandeep has played in many tournaments and gained a lot of experience in franchise cricket,” said Worcestershire coach Alex Gidman in a club statement. “He’s a leg-spinner, which is a bit of mystery spin we believe we need in our squad in terms of balance, so we are ecstatic with the signing. “This is his first taste of playing in England, and I’m sure he will do well and have an enjoyable summer with us,” he added. Lamichhane, a product of Nepal’s Chitwan Cricket Academy, became a protege of Michael Clarke after the former Australia captain spotted him at a tournament in Hong Kong. The then teenager’s big break came when he was snapped up by the IPL’s Delhi Capitals, coached by another ex-Australia captain in Ricky Ponting, for $318,000 in January 2018.