Sandeep Lamichhane's World Record: 150 ODI Wickets

On a May afternoon in 2026, Sandeep Lamichhane did what no bowler in the history of one-day international cricket had done before him. The Dang-born leg-spinner took his 150th ODI wicket in just 73 matches, shattering a record that had stood in the name of Australia's Mitchell Starc. For Nepal cricket — a programme still fighting for its place at the global table — it was the single greatest individual milestone the country has ever produced.

The Record: 73 Matches to 150 ODI Wickets

Lamichhane reached 150 ODI wickets in his 73rd match, during Nepal's ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign in May 2026. The previous record was held by Mitchell Starc, who had reached the same landmark in 77 matches. Lamichhane beat that benchmark by four matches — a margin that, in cricket's history books, counts as emphatic.

The ICC's all-time ODI wicket-takers list places Lamichhane as Nepal's most successful bowler by a wide distance. No other Nepali cricketer is ranked anywhere near him in global bowling charts. For a country that holds Associate status and plays most of its competitive cricket in qualification tournaments rather than full bilateral series, the record carries additional weight: Lamichhane has taken those 150 wickets against opposition that includes Full Member nations and other competitive Associate sides, across formats and conditions that test every dimension of a wrist-spinner's craft.

How Lamichhane Got Here: ICC CWC League 2 in 2026

The record fell during Nepal's ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign in April and May 2026. Lamichhane was already on an exceptional run of form. He had picked up 2 wickets in Nepal's 37-run win over the UAE on April 25, a match in which Nepal posted 200 and bowled the UAE out for 163 in 48.2 overs. That performance put him within striking distance of two milestones simultaneously: the world record for fastest to 150 ODI wickets, and a separate mark as the first bowler to take 100 wickets across all ICC CWC League 2 matches.

Nepal's campaign in that League 2 window produced mixed results. The team beat UAE twice — by 37 runs on April 25 and by 6 runs on DLS on May 1, when Nepal posted 289/7 and UAE finished 248/8 in 38 overs — but lost to Oman by 102 runs on DLS on April 29 after Oman made 305/8. Nepal then recovered to beat Oman by 81 runs on May 5. Lamichhane's performances throughout ran the backbone of Nepal's bowling attack, as they have done for years.

T20 World Cup 2026: Lamichhane at Wankhede

Before the League 2 record, Lamichhane had been part of Nepal's squad at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, played in India in February. Nepal were placed in Group C and played their matches at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Lamichhane made his mark in the opening match against England, dismissing Tom Banton — one of the wickets that kept Nepal in the hunt as they chased England's 184/7 and fell agonisingly short at 180/6, losing by just 4 runs.

The standout result of Nepal's tournament came in their match against Scotland. Nepal won by 7 wickets — Scotland posted 170/7 and Nepal chased it down in 171/3, with Dipendra Singh Airee hitting an unbeaten 50 off 23 balls. It was Nepal's first T20 World Cup win in 12 years. Lamichhane contributed to the bowling effort that restricted Scotland, before the batsmen finished the job. Nepal exited at the group stage, also falling to Italy and West Indies, but the England near-miss and the Scotland win confirmed this squad belongs at global events.

What the Record Means for Nepal Cricket

Nepal holds Associate status with the ICC and does not play regular bilateral ODI series against Full Member nations. The country's international schedule is dominated by qualification events: CWC League 2, T20 World Cup qualifiers, regional tournaments. In that context, the speed at which Lamichhane has accumulated wickets is extraordinary. Most bowlers who reach 150 ODI wickets have spent years in bilateral cricket against Test-playing nations, racking up appearances against the same opposition repeatedly. Lamichhane has had no such luxury.

Nepal's ICC rankings as of June 2026 stand at 15th in T20I cricket and 17th in ODIs. Lamichhane is the only Nepali cricketer ranked individually in the top tier of ICC bowling charts. The asymmetry is stark: one player has lifted Nepal to places on global leaderboards that the team as a whole has not yet reached. Captain Rohit Paudel acknowledged after the T20 World Cup that Nepal "still haven't gotten the exposure they deserve" — a point the coaching staff has made repeatedly to the ICC when lobbying for more fixtures against Full Members.

The record also sharpens the debate about Nepal's path to Full Member status. Every time Lamichhane sets a benchmark previously held by an Australian, a South African, or a West Indian, the argument for treating Nepal cricket as a serious long-term programme — rather than a curiosity — becomes harder to dismiss.

Career Stats and What Comes Next

Beyond the ODI record, Lamichhane has been active across formats in 2026. He signed with Rajshahi Warriors for the Bangladesh Premier League, adding to a franchise T20 career that has taken him to the IPL, CPL, BBL, and PSL over the years. The BPL stint keeps him match-sharp in between Nepal's international windows, which are sparser than those of Full Member nations.

On the domestic front, Nepal's qualification for the Asian Games men's cricket competition is confirmed after a dominant run through the May 31–June 9 qualifier in Singapore. Nepal crushed China by 221 runs in the opener, beat Malaysia by 167 runs, and won the final via DLS against Hong Kong. They will join Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka at the Asian Games starting September 24 — a tournament that gives Nepal another high-profile window.

Looking further ahead, the ICC's 2027 schedule is the next major target. Nepal will look to consolidate their ODI and T20I rankings, and Lamichhane — still far from the end of his career at 26 — has every prospect of extending his record lead. The question is no longer whether Sandeep Lamichhane belongs in conversation with the world's best bowlers. The record answers that. The question now is whether Nepal cricket, as a programme, will be given the fixtures and the stage to match the ambitions of its most exceptional player.