Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane ended his first episode of Australian Big Bash League (BBL) on a high note picking up 1-31 in Melbourne Stars’ seven-wicket victory over Melbourne Renegades in a derby match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

The Nepali teenaged leg-spinner has had a successful opening in the BBL picking up 8-109 and headed for Bangladesh on Tuesday night to join Sylhet Sixers for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) which kicks off from January 5 in Dhaka. Sixers’ have their first match against Comilla Victorians on January 6 but Lamichhane’s team manager in Nepal Raman Shiwakoti said: “His next match in the BBL is set for January 5 but he is leaving earlier so that he can acclimatise with the local conditions.”

So congested has been Lamichhane’s international schedule that he will be playing the BBL and BPL in different time frame and in between representing Nepali national team. After playing eight matches for the Sixers in the BPL, Lamichhane will join the Nepali team for a three-match One Day International and Twenty20 International Series beginning from January 25 to February 3 in the United Arab Emirates.

The 18-year-old can join Stars again in the BBL after February 3 and even if they don’t make it to the playoffs, he can represent the franchise in two of the league matches. The BBL runs until February 17. Lamichhane’s first four-match stint with Stars has been quite commendable staying third among tournament’s leading wicket-taker with a decent economy of 6.81.

Lamichhane began the tournament by picking up 2-36 against Sydney Thunder and had a successful outing against Hobart Hurricanes taking 3-24 but for a losing cause. His bowling was pivotal in handing Stars a five-wicket win over Sydney Sixers. Most importantly, Lamichhane has already proved himself as a world class bowler after the commentators and cricket experts were left in awe for his maturity belying his age. 

The back-to-back victory for Stars have lifted them to third in the standings on net run-rate after they were tied on four points with three other teams. Hobart Hurricanes currently lead the standings with eight points from four matches, while Sydney Sixers are second with six points from five games.

On Tuesday, Stars skipper Glenn Maxwell decided to bring Lamichhane handing him the ball early in the fourth over. But two back-to-back boundaries Sam Harper saw the Nepali leggie leak 11 runs. He was brought back in the 11th and he struck with a wrong one to clean bowl Renegades captain Tom Cooper. He conceded just four runs in that over and conceded eight and nine respectively in the third and fourth over.

Dwayne Bravo (3-27), Marcus Stoinis (2-26) and Scot Boland (2-32) shared eight wickets between them to restrict Renegades to 148-9 in 20 overs. Stoinis then starred with the bat as well as the allrounder opened the innings and struck a 49-ball 78 not out leading his side to 151-3 in 17.5 overs. Stars next play Sydney Thunder in the fifth game on January 5.