Nepalese flavour to light up BBL at the ‘G

The start of a scheduled media conference with Melbourne Stars' Nepalese spin star Sandeep Lamichhane at the MCG today was much like the rapid rise of cricket in his homeland in recent years.

Completely unexpected, but also pleasantly surprising.

After established Big Bash stars Danni Wyatt, Erin Osborne, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa completed their media duties ahead of the Melbourne Derby double-header on New Year's Eve, the charmingly confident Lamichhane approached the microphone with an unidentified man alongside him.

"I'm very fortunate to welcome to the Stars family, Paras Khadka," the teenager informed the waiting media of the man to his right.

"The captain of the Nepal national team."

Image Id: 82BEE720BB09444EBF8780AACAFA4E34 Image Caption: Khadka (left) with Sandeep // cricket.com.au

The unplanned appearance of the skipper of one of the fastest-growing national cricket sides in the world, in a year when Nepal gained one-day and T20 international status for the very first time, even caught Stars officials slightly on the hop.

But it felt entirely appropriate for Nepalese cricket to gate-crash the biggest annual match on the Big Bash calendar given Lamichhane's eye-catching arrival has been one of the most enjoyable features of the season so far.

The 18-year-old's recruitment by the Stars has helped expose the Big Bash to a whole new audience of passionate cricket lovers in this country, the 60,000-plus Nepalese who now call Australia home.

There was a smattering of Nepalese flags – and plenty of noise – coming from the hill at Manuka Oval in the Stars' opening match of the season and again at Blundstone Arena in Hobart, before another hundred or so came to the SCG last week to watch their hero take on the Sydney Sixers.

Image Id: 8748CD72FBB845439539945C34369CF1 Image Caption: Sandeep had plenty of home support in Canberra // cricket.com.au

And Stars officials are expecting such a big turnout of Nepalese supporters at the MCG on Tuesday for their first home game of the season that they've set aside an entire bay of seats just for Lamichhane's cheer squad.

"I'm getting a lot of support from Nepalese fans all around Australia," Lamichhane said today, his pair of diamond stud earrings glistening in the Melbourne sun as much as his infectiously beaming smile.

"It's not a surprise to see all the guys come. They've been following us and supporting us through the year and it's great to see all the guys coming in large numbers and supporting our team.

"And this time, not only me but the Stars as well."

The speed with which cricket's popularity has grown in Nepal this century is matched only by the game's extraordinary development in Afghanistan, home of BBL stars Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, whose national team played their maiden Test match this year and also qualified for the 2019 World Cup.

And while Lamichhane has the next T20 World Cup on his mind, the final of which will be played on the same MCG turf that two of Nepal's best players stood on today, 31-year-old skipper Khadka is looking even further ahead.

And he's using the Afghans as a source of inspiration.

"One of the things we want to do is become a fully-fledged Test-playing country," he said.

"Back home, cricket's the number one sport. Every time we play there are packed stadiums and another million people outside. Cricket has really made the country proud.

"It'll take a lot of effort, it's not going to happen overnight. But probably in the next 10-15 years if everything goes into place, Nepal could potentially become another Test-playing country.

"Nepal cricket is slowly on the rise. Having become an ODI side this year, it's an exciting time for all of us, especially the cricketers. Sandeep's doing well and hopefully he keeps doing the same."

The key to Nepal achieving their goal, according to Khadka, is exposure.

Both men acknowledge the long list of obstacles players face at home, mainly the lack of a solid domestic structure to challenge and deepen the nation's talent pool.

But Khadka believes the success of Lamichhane could be just what aspiring Nepalese cricketers need to open the eyes of the rest of the cricketing world.

"He's representing the whole country right now," Khadka said.

"The kind of performances he has shown, not only in this league but in every league he's been a part it, is a great sign of the talent and potential that the players have back home.

"There's a lot of talent, it's just about performing in front of the right eyes, so the coaches and talent recruiters can see.

"Maybe they should come to Nepal and see the kind of potential the boys have back home."

Based on Lamichhane's BBL performances so far this season, which have yielded him seven wickets at 11 and a frugal economy rate of 6.5, BBL club officials would be well advised to take Khadka's advice and head to the Himalayas in the off-season.