Sandeep Lamichhane reappointed Nepal’s ODI Captain

Kathmandu / Aug 10: The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has reappointed leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane as captain of the Nepal national cricket team for the one-day format.

Lamichhane will take charge from the upcoming ACC Premier Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Malaysia from August 30.

The squad announced for the tournament comprises Sandeep Lamichhane (captain), Aasif Sheikh, Arjun Kumal, Rohit Paudel, Dev Khanal, Dipendra Singh Airee, Basir Ahmad, Ishan Pandey, Gulshan Jha, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Hemant Dhami and Sandeep Jora.

Lamichhane previously captained Nepal’s ODI side in 2022, leading the team in 14 matches.

This marks Lamichhane’s return to the national captaincy since August 30, 2022, when he last led Nepal in a T20I series in Kenya. He was stripped of the armband shortly after following legal charges, after which Paudel was handed the reins. Following the T20 World Cup in India in February, CAN split the captaincy by appointing Dipendra Singh Airee as the T20I skipper—a role Airee will retain—while handing the ODI mantle back to Lamichhane.

The decision to hand the captaincy back to Lamichhane comes at a critical juncture for Nepali cricket, which has faced mounting pressure amidst a turbulent ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign. Nepal’s recent performances in League 2 have been plagued by batting inconsistency and tactical instability. During their recent tour to the Netherlands, Nepal suffered a humiliating four-match clean sweep against the hosts and Namibia—marking the second time Nepal faced a whitewash away from home in League 2.