Mehidy Hasan Miraz & Sandeep Lamichhane – Once teenage prodigies now changing the game at senior level
The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup begins on 14 January in West Indies. Click here for details.
As Mehidy Hasan Miraz turns heads for Bangladesh, most recently on their tour of New Zealand, Sandeep Lamichhane has led the way for Nepal at senior international level, and now takes the reins as national team captain.
Making their mark in senior cricket, the potential was there for the world to see at the 2016 Under 19 World Cup in Bangladesh, with the pair leaving their mark on the competition.
Playing in his second U19 tournament, Mehidy was captain of the home side, leading his side to the semi-finals. Despite making 60 with the bat and taking 2/57 (10) with the ball, Mehidy's side lost to West Indies, the tournament's eventual winners, in the penultimate over of the contest.
Mehidy, who was crowned Player of the Tournament, was also Player of the Match when Bangladesh met Sandeep's Nepal in their quarter-final matchup.
Leading Nepal's fairytale run, Lamichhane was the second-highest wicket-taker at the tournament (14 wickets at 17.07), and claimed the wicket of Najmul Hossain Shanto, a player who now boasts 27 senior international appearances across the three formats.
Despite Sandeep's best efforts, taking 1/46 off his allotted overs, Bangladesh prevailed with ten balls to spare, with Mehidy making 55* to go with figures of 1/51.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz – fulfilling his potential from the get-go
Touted as a future Bangladesh star at a young age, Mehidy's strong performances across the 2014 and 2016 tournaments were rewarded with a Test call-up before turning 19.
Opening the bowling with his off-spin in Chattogram, Mehidy proved to be a headache against a touring England side, taking 6/80 in the first innings across 39.5 overs.
Mehidy claimed Joe Root (40), Moeen Ali (68) and Jonny Bairstow (52) in the innings, as well as Alastair Cook for 12 as his only scalp in the second innings. England would go on to win the match, though Mehidy and his team would go on to level the series, and the off-spinner took centre stage in the shock victory.
Mehidy claimed twelve wickets in the match, split six-apiece across the two innings, finishing with figures of 12/159 in a 108-run victory.
Already with 119 Test wickets to his name to go along with 55 ODI scalps, Mehidy has also made significant contributions with the bat, making one century and four fifties across international cricket.
Sandeep Lamichhane – plucked from the nets and making the most of the chance
A beacon of Associate international cricket in 2022, Sandeep's destiny could have been very different he had not been spotted as a 14-year-old by national team coach Pubudu Dassanayake.
Dassanayake, travelling across Nepal for the wedding of then-national team player Basant Regmi, decided to use the trip to scout future prospects. It was only then that he found the leg-spinner practicing in the nets in Chitwan.
Excited by the youngster's prospects, Dassanayake accelerated Sandeep into the U19s team, and the leg-spinner took the chance with both hands. He made headlines against Ireland, taking a five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick on Nepal's head-turning run.
In late 2021, Lamichhane was appointed Nepal captain, and will play a key role in Nepal's ICC Men's 2022 T20 World Cup Qualifier campaign, as well as Cricket World Cup League Two, on the path of qualification for the 2023 Men's Cricket World Cup in India.
Spin to win for two of the game's young talents
As their canny bowling ties opposition in knots, the pair have assumed key roles early in their senior international careers, having been able to bank on the experiences of the U19 World Cup.
From January 14, a new crop of U19 players will forge their own path at the ICC Under19 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.