Star leggie Sandeep Lamichhane is set to miss out on 13th South Asian Games ( SAG ) which will kick off on December 1.
In consonance with Sandeep Lamichhane’s manager as well as video analyst of Nepal national cricket team Raman Siwakoti, Sandeep has undergone surgery on both of his eyes on Tuesday at Til-Ganga eye hospital.
The SAG games of cricket will take place from December 3 in T-20 format where Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan & Maldives will join the hosts Nepal at TU International Cricket Ground.
According to eye consultant at Til-Ganga, Sandeep Lamichhane has been suffering from Myopia, i.e he is not able to see distant object clearly whilst the objects closer are seen sharp. He has been advised to take a break for 2 to 3 weeks till the recovery. Suman Raj Karki, Administrator of Nepal national cricket team admitted that the surgery was to be undergone as soon as possible & Sandeep requires 15-20 days of rest for recovery.
Nepal will definitely miss the service of Sandeep who has been proven an integral part of the team in recent time. Sandeep also missed out on ACC emerging teams Asia Cup held in Bangladesh along with former skipper Paras Khadka. Sandeep & Paras have just returned home from T-10 league concluded in the UAE.
Rohit Kumar Poudel to replace Sandeep Lamichhane
According to the reports, Rohit Kumar Poudel is set to replace Sandeep Lamichhane but it is yet to be confirmed officially by the team administration.
The squad announced for SAG games is dominated by the youngsters where senior & experienced faces of Sharad Vesawkar & Basant Regmi will be absent. Gyanendra Malla led side comprises of Paras Khadka, Dipendra Singh Airee, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Binod Bhandari, Avinash Bohora, Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sundeep Jora, Sushan Bhari, Pawan Sarraf while right arm fast medium pacer Rashid Khan has been called up for first time in the National side.
Non-presence of Sandeep Lamichanne means the spin department will entirely depend upon Lalit Rajbanshi, Sushan Bhari & Pawan Sarraf.
SAG Men’s Cricket Schedule
The tournament will take place on round robin basis where each team will play against each other where the top two teams will compete for the gold. Similarly, teams finishing 3rd & 4th will face each other for bronze medal.
Nepal will kick off their tournament facing Sri Lanka U-23 on December 3. Similarly, they’ll face Bhutan on Decmeber 5, Maldives on December 6 & finally Bangladesh U-23 on 7th of December. 3rd place play-off i.e battle for bronze medal will commence on December 9 while the Final for gold will be played on 10th of December.
Nepal 15-man squad: Gyanandra Malla(Captain), Paras Khadka, Dipendra Singh Airee, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Binod Bhandari(WK), Avinash Bohora, Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sundeep Jora, Sushan Bhari, Pawan Sarraf, Rashid Khan.
SAG women’s cricket schedule
Women’s tournament will take place on Pokhara Cricket Stadium. It has also been scheduled to be played on round robin basis and T-20 format where hosts Nepal alongside Maldives, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka will play a match against each other. The top two teams will compete for the gold. Similarly, bottom two will face each other for bronze medal. All the teams are set to feature their senior teams.
Nepal will play against Maldives on Decemeber 2, Bangladesh on December 4 & Sri Lanka on Decemeber 6. 3rd place-play off for bronze will be played on December 7 while the teams will be competing for gold on 8th of December.
Nepal Women’s team squad: Rubina Chhetry (Captain), Sita Rana Magar (Vice-Captain), Indu Barma, Kajal Shrestha, Karuna Bhandari, Sonu Khadka, Mamta Chaudhary, Sarita Magar, Apsari Begam, Saraswati Chaudhary, Anjali Chand, Shanti Khatiwada, Roma Thapa, Dolly Bhatta, Kavita Kunwar.
