ESPNcricinfo Awards 2018 Associate bowling nominees: Lamichhane spins a Qualifier dream, Naveed ends another
Two spinners, two medium-pacers and a quick walk into a nominations list
Peter Della Penna
26-Jan-2019
Safyaan Sharif celebrates the wicket of Hamilton Masakadza during the World Cup Qualifier • Nigel Roddis - IDI
Click here for the Associate batting shortlist
Sandeep Lamichhane
5 for 20 v Kenya
WCL Division Two, Windhoek
Teenage wonder Lamichhane sparked a thrilling fightback against Kenya in Nepal's fourth match at Division Two on the way to Man-of-the-Tournament honours. Needing a win to remain in contention for a World Cup Qualifier berth, Nepal were under pressure after Kenya's openers took the score to 62 for 0 in 16 overs. Enter Lamichhane, who struck in his first two overs to reel back Kenya's scoring rate. By the time he claimed his fifth, Kenya were 139 for 8. The spell was instrumental in holding Kenya to 177, which Nepal chased off the final ball.
5 for 20 v Kenya
WCL Division Two, Windhoek
Teenage wonder Lamichhane sparked a thrilling fightback against Kenya in Nepal's fourth match at Division Two on the way to Man-of-the-Tournament honours. Needing a win to remain in contention for a World Cup Qualifier berth, Nepal were under pressure after Kenya's openers took the score to 62 for 0 in 16 overs. Enter Lamichhane, who struck in his first two overs to reel back Kenya's scoring rate. By the time he claimed his fifth, Kenya were 139 for 8. The spell was instrumental in holding Kenya to 177, which Nepal chased off the final ball.
Tom Sole
4 for 15 v Hong Kong
World Cup Qualifier, Bulawayo
In just his third ODI, Scotland offspinner Sole proved a handful. After Hong Kong had gone through the Powerplay unscathed, fellow spinner Mark Watt provided the initial breakthrough. Then Sole ripped through the middle order. He struck twice in his first three balls as part of a double-wicket maiden, which included the wicket of star batsman Anshuman Rath. His string of 18 dots to begin his spell also included the prized scalp of captain Babar Hayat. In all, Sole bowled 52 dot balls, ending with two more maidens as Hong Kong eventually subsided for 91 and Scotland won by four wickets.
4 for 15 v Hong Kong
World Cup Qualifier, Bulawayo
In just his third ODI, Scotland offspinner Sole proved a handful. After Hong Kong had gone through the Powerplay unscathed, fellow spinner Mark Watt provided the initial breakthrough. Then Sole ripped through the middle order. He struck twice in his first three balls as part of a double-wicket maiden, which included the wicket of star batsman Anshuman Rath. His string of 18 dots to begin his spell also included the prized scalp of captain Babar Hayat. In all, Sole bowled 52 dot balls, ending with two more maidens as Hong Kong eventually subsided for 91 and Scotland won by four wickets.
Safyaan Sharif
5 for 33 v Zimbabwe
World Cup Qualifier, Bulawayo
Scotland's thrilling run at the World Cup Qualifier nearly included their second win over Zimbabwe in the space of nine months thanks to the efforts of Sharif. Against the hosts, the tournament's eventual joint-leading wicket-taker took two wickets in the Powerplay to get Scotland off to a solid start. In his next spell, he claimed the key scalps of Sean Williams and captain Graeme Cremer to prevent a late burst, before wiping out tailender Blessing Muzarabani to hold Zimbabwe to 210. A late stumble in Scotland's chase meant the match ended in a tie.
5 for 33 v Zimbabwe
World Cup Qualifier, Bulawayo
Scotland's thrilling run at the World Cup Qualifier nearly included their second win over Zimbabwe in the space of nine months thanks to the efforts of Sharif. Against the hosts, the tournament's eventual joint-leading wicket-taker took two wickets in the Powerplay to get Scotland off to a solid start. In his next spell, he claimed the key scalps of Sean Williams and captain Graeme Cremer to prevent a late burst, before wiping out tailender Blessing Muzarabani to hold Zimbabwe to 210. A late stumble in Scotland's chase meant the match ended in a tie.
Mohammad Naveed
3 for 40 v Zimbabwe
World Cup Qualifier, Harare
Zimbabwe entered their last Super Six match needing a win over UAE to get to England. UAE had already been eliminated from contention and had never beaten a Full Member in an ODI. So the result seemed a formality, especially when UAE mustered a modest 235. Mohammad Naveed had other ideas. Defending a revised target of 230 in 40 overs, Naveed, in his opening burst, derailed Zimbabwe at 18 for 2. When Zimbabwe needed 24 off 18 balls, Naveed conceded just 15 off his last two overs and plucked another wicket to ensure Zimbabwe fell short by three runs.
3 for 40 v Zimbabwe
World Cup Qualifier, Harare
Zimbabwe entered their last Super Six match needing a win over UAE to get to England. UAE had already been eliminated from contention and had never beaten a Full Member in an ODI. So the result seemed a formality, especially when UAE mustered a modest 235. Mohammad Naveed had other ideas. Defending a revised target of 230 in 40 overs, Naveed, in his opening burst, derailed Zimbabwe at 18 for 2. When Zimbabwe needed 24 off 18 balls, Naveed conceded just 15 off his last two overs and plucked another wicket to ensure Zimbabwe fell short by three runs.
Aizaz Khan
5 for 28 v UAE
Asia Cup Qualifiers final, Kuala Lumpur
The Hong Kong fast bowler showed that even though he had lost some pace since his teenage years, he still had the nous to outmanoeuvre high-quality batsmen. In a match reduced to 24 overs a side, Aizaz proved a handful against the middle order of favourites UAE. He struck a key blow in removing captain Rohan Mustafa for a duck, then followed it by claiming Rameez Shahzad - a man whose year included centuries against Scotland and West Indies - for just 2. Aizaz took three more wickets in his final over to set up a dramatic two-wicket win.
5 for 28 v UAE
Asia Cup Qualifiers final, Kuala Lumpur
The Hong Kong fast bowler showed that even though he had lost some pace since his teenage years, he still had the nous to outmanoeuvre high-quality batsmen. In a match reduced to 24 overs a side, Aizaz proved a handful against the middle order of favourites UAE. He struck a key blow in removing captain Rohan Mustafa for a duck, then followed it by claiming Rameez Shahzad - a man whose year included centuries against Scotland and West Indies - for just 2. Aizaz took three more wickets in his final over to set up a dramatic two-wicket win.
Click here for the Associate batting shortlist
Peter Della Penna is ESPNcricinfo's USA correspondent @PeterDellaPenna