16-year-old Nepal leg-spinner receives invitation to train at Michael Clarke's academy
Nepal’s 16-year-old leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who shot to fame with his performances at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, has received an invitation from former Australian skipper Michael Clarke to train at his cricket academy in Sydney – something the youngster was more than happy to accept.
He will also be representing the Sydney-based cricket club Western Suburbs during his season-long stay Down Under.
Sandeep, who created history at the ICC Under-19 World Cup by claiming the first hat-trick by a Nepalese cricketer in a crucial group-stage match against Ireland at the Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah.
He also finished as the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament, eventually won by the West Indies. The youngster came to Clarke’s attention during the latter’s short stint as a player and mentor in Hong Kong earlier this year.
Clarke, who retired from international cricket after the 2015 Ashes series, had conducted a coaching camp for the Hong Kong men’s and women’s cricket teams, while he played as well as, donned the role of a mentor for the Kowloon Cantons side, in what was Hong Kong’s first-ever T20 tournament.
Sandeep, who played for the same side, will now have the opportunity to spend some more time with Clarke, who said that he was looking forward to working again with the youngster.
Sandeep took to Twitter to express his delight at the opportunity being given to him and said that he would be giving his very best during his stay in Australia.
"Sandeep is a fantastic young man who enjoys his cricket and is extremely passionate about the game," Clarke said in a press release of the Western Suburbs side. "It is a really exciting opportunity to have such a talented Nepalese cricketer travel this distance to come and test his skills and improve his game at my academy.
“I am looking forward to working with him and all the boys and girls that will attend the 5-day live-in camp starting September 26th. Sandeep will fit in well at my club, Wests have always gone out of their way to look after the younger players and he will be a great asset to the club this summer."