Sandeep Lamichhane to join Nepal in UAE as an injury replacement

Sandeep Lamichhane will join Nepal for their remaining fixtures in the Cricket World Series League 2 series in Dubai. Lamichhane has been named as a replacement for Mousom Dhakal, who suffered an injury in the nets. 

Nepal will play Papua New Guinea and the hosts UAE in this leg of the series and have been looking for ways to rope Lamichhane in. The 22 year old is facing charges of sexual coercion of another person and is presently out of jail on bail. The conditions of the bail prohibits him from travelling out of Nepal, but Lamichhane went to Nepal’s Supreme Court and was given permission to travel earlier this week. At that stage, it was only up to the International Cricket Board to approve his inclusion within the squad. 

"Sandeep Lamichhane will be travelling to the UAE to join Team Nepal as a replacement for injured Shyam (Mousom) Dhakal, who was injured during net practice. Mousom suffered a shoulder injury while batting in the net practice session on February 28, 2023," the Cricket Association Nepal (CAN) tweeted on Wednesday. Nepal will play two back to back games on Thursday and Friday against UAE and PNG. 

Nepal have secured a win in the only game they have played so far in Dubai- without Lamichhane in their squad- defeating PNG by four wickets. With Lamichhane in the side, Nepal had won the CEW tri series in Nepal last week. Lamichanne was critical to Nepal’s success in that series, claiming 13 wickets in four matches. That was Sandeep’s first competitive contest since his arrest last October. 

Nepal are currently placed sixth in the seven-team CWC League 2. Lamichhane with 55 scalps is Nepal’s leading wicket taker in the competition and is third in the list of top wicket takers.