Scott Boland knows quite well the impact that Sandeep Lamichhane can have in Twenty20 cricket, and he can't wait for their time as Hobart Hurricanes teammates to officially start this weekend.
The two were teammates at the Melbourne Stars in BBL08, with, ironically, the Nepalese leg-spinner set make his debut in the purple against that side at Blundstone Arena on Saturday.
Boland said Lamichhane, who has taken 117 wickets in 88 career T20s at an average of 18.15, would be a "huge" inclusion to a bowling group he said was "well rounded" with "all bases covered".
"I think he just gives us a bit more flexibility as I know for the Stars he has bowled in the Power Play and has bowled at the end, so he can bowl anywhere,'' Boland said on Friday.
"We have a real focus on trying to take wickets through the middle overs and so far through the tournament we have done that pretty well, so he will just add to a strength of ours."
It's a bowling group, which also includes speedster RIley Meredith, Nathan Ellis and young spinner Wil Parker, which got a confidence boost from Wednesday's one-run win over the Brisbane Heat when they defended 150 without the injured James Faulkner.
Saturday's match will be one of two in three days against a Stars team which has featured the batting power of Andre Fletcher, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Nicholas Pooran this summer, a challenge Boland was looking forward to.
The 31-year-old, who played 14 ODIS and three T20Is for his country, bowled some key overs against the Heat [the second over of the Power Surge and the final over of the match] as he finished with 2-18 from his four overs to give him six wickets at 26.50 for BBL10.
He admitted those moments were still "nerve-racking" despite his experience with the white ball.
For him moments like that were all about keeping it "pretty simple" by staying calm to ensure he could execute his plans, which he did brilliantly by conceding just nine runs and taking one wicket in those overs.
The Hurricanes have received a boost with Adam Zampa suspended for what Boland sees as a finals preview, an absence that could help Hobart's batters find some form.
"[But] it is a really good sign that our batting group hasn't got going yet but we are still posting scores of 150 to 170 and hopefully it will all start to click to make life a touch easier for our bowlers,'' he said.
West Indian Keemo Paul, who was injured on Wednesday, wasn't named in the Hurricanes' squad.
Saturday's clash will start at 5.05pm.
Alex Fair
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
