After topping the bowling charts for Lahore Qalandars with 11 scalps at 17.18, Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane said that the challenge of bowling spin to subcontinental batsmen was his biggest takeaway from PSL 4.
Lahore finished at the bottom of the table, with just three wins from 10 matches, but Lamichhane enjoyed a good season individually. His wicket-tally was the joint-highest, along with right-arm medium-pacer Haris Rauf, who had played three matches more. Lamichhane’s performance included a T20 career-best 4/10 against Quetta Gladiators in Dubai, where he ripped through the middle order to send Quetta packing for 106.
“It’s always challenging to play T20 cricket, and more than that, batsmen in the subcontinent play spin well, so it was a double challenge,” he said. “I have to learn a lot of things to come good.”
Lamichhane went on to call his week-long stay in Pakistan a “lifetime experience” and hoped that he would one day be able to return to the country as part of the Nepal team. International cricket has largely been at a standstill in Pakistan since 2009, with the country having hosted just 12 matches in the interim.
“It was lovely to be here (in Karachi). I enjoyed my visit and would wait for another trip, whether for the PSL or with the Nepal team. It was a lifetime experience,” Lamichhane said.
“I can’t wait to come back to Pakistan with the Nepal cricket team as I am sure more cricket will come to Pakistan. The fans were very passionate and deserved more cricket. We all felt at home and it’s really great news for Pakistan that we have played PSL matches here in Karachi.”
Lamichhane hoped to be able to carry his form in domestic T20 cricket onto the international stage. Lamichhane is still fresh at the international level, but has shown plenty of promise in his still infant career. His 15 ODI wickets have come at an average of 14.80 and he strikes once every 18 balls in T20Is.
“I am sure Nepal is on their way to bigger cricket and I want to play my part in that,” he said. “I am doing the hard work and hope rewards will come with hard work.”