Sandeep Lamichhane is Nepal’s all-time leading wicket-taker in both one-day and T20 formats. Currently, he is also leading the wicket tally in the ICC CWC League-2.

Lamichhane, the only Nepali to have 100+ wickets in both formats, is now close to becoming the first bowler with 100+ wickets in League-2 alone.

Considered Nepal’s most accomplished bowler ever, the right-arm leg spinner reached 97 League-2 wickets after picking two against the UAE in the opening match of the tri-series, comprising Oman, at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur on Saturday.

Lamichhane took the scalps of Khuzaima Tanveer (1 off 12) and Nilansh Keswani (18 off 33). He also bowled two maiden overs while giving away 25 runs in his 10 overs, which was crucial in Nepal’s much-needed win over the UAE.

Winning the toss, the visitors asked the Rhinos to bat first. Nepali batters got bundled out at 200 runs in 48.2 overs.

Dipendra Singh Airee, who was dropped at 63, top-scored with 75 off 90, followed by Kushal Bhurtel (24 off 25) and Karan KC (22 off 37).

The damage had been done with Nepali batters failing to score enough. However, the Rhinos entered the ground for the second innings confidently.

And when the UAE were down to 5/2 by the end of the second over, Nepal appeared to have an upper hand.

The UAE did have their moment when the middle order refused to leave the pitch. Harpreet Singh (39 off 52), Akshdeep Nath (30 off 53) and skipper Muhammad Waseem (34 off 51) brought the UAE back on the chase, but it did not end successfully.

Singh was the victim of Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, while Sompal Kami took care of Nath and Waseem. A former national player for India U19, alongside having been associated with the likes of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, Nath’s wicket was the most important one for Nepal.

The UAE also batted as much as Nepal, until 48.2 overs. But while Nepal had 200 runs on the board, the UAE were 163 all out.

Karan KC was the most successful bowler for Nepal on Saturday. KC picked four wickets in his 9.2 overs, which included two maidens and 19 runs.

Nepal now have 14 points from six wins in 21 matches of the ongoing League-2 cycle (2024-2027).

Closing in on 100 League-2 wickets

A day before he became 18 years old, Lamichhane, who had already played for the national U19 side, debuted for the Nepali national team in one-day as the Rhinos faced the Netherlands on August 1, 2018.

Taking a wicket on his ODI debut—of then Dutch opener Stephan Myburgh—Lamichhane now has 137 wickets in the format in 67 matches (65 innings). He also has 136 T20I wickets in 74 matches.

And among the 137 ODI wickets, he has bagged more than half of them in League-2 alone.

Lamichhane’s first League-2 match was during the inaugural edition of the tournament against Oman at the home of Nepali cricket on February 5, 2020. He was wicketless in that match.

But by the time the first League-2 tri-series comprising Nepal, Oman and the USA concluded, Lamichhane had eight wickets in four games, including a six-wicket haul against the USA on February 12, 2020.

And by Saturday, Lamichhane had 97 wickets in 47 matches (45 innings) of League 2, a four-year cycle of matches between top Associate teams.

Of the 97 wickets, Lamichhane has picked 22 against the USA, 16 against the UAE, 14 each against Scotland and Namibia, 13 against PNG, 10 against Oman, five against the Netherlands and three against Canada.

Lamichhane has picked 35 League-2 wickets at TU Ground alone.

Namibia’s Bernard Scholtz (94 wickets in 62 matches) and USA’s Saurabh Netravalkar (93 wickets in 54 matches) are trailing Lamichhane in League-2.

The only Nepali bowler close to Lamichhane in the list of top League-2 wicket-takers is pacer KC, who has 71 wickets in 48 games. KC also follows Lamichhane in the national list with 106 T20I wickets and 95 ODI wickets.

Lamichhane, who had attracted the attention of Australian cricketer Michal Clarke in 2016, went on to play throughout the world over the years. He has played in some of the world’s biggest franchise cricket leagues—Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and Big Bash League.

Lamichhane will now have the chance to become the first player with the milestone of 100+ League-2 wickets against Oman on Wednesday.

With just three wickets separating him from another milestone, Lamichhane is not merely chasing numbers but defining an era of Nepali cricket in the Associate circuit. As Nepal continue their League-2 journey, the leg-spinner remains both their most reliable match-winner and the symbol of how far the country has come on the global stage.