Three cricketers from Sikkim have been selected for the squad of the Northeast zonal team (NEZ) that will play in the upcoming Duleep Trophy cricket tournament this year.
“Ashish Thapa, a wicket-keeper batter, Ankur Malik, and Palzor Tamang, both all-rounders, have been selected in the team,” Samir Nugo, spokesperson of the Sikkim Cricket Association (SICA), told The Telegraph on Tuesday.
He said that among the trio, Ashish Thapa is the most capped state player. He has played 32 first-class matches and is also the first home-grown cricketer to score a century for the state in a Ranji Trophy match against Bihar.
Palzor Tamang is the first bowler in the Himalayan state to get a five-wicket haul in a first-class cricket match and has scalped a total of 87 wickets in first-class matches.
“After Nilesh Lamichaney, Tamang is the second cricketer from Sikkim to secure an overseas club contract. He represented Felling Cricket Club in England and participated in the North East Premier League, affiliated with England and Wales Cricket Board,” said Nugo.
Ankur Malik, on the other hand, is a leg-spinner and a bowling all-rounder.
On Monday, sources in SICA said the NEZ selection committee announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming domestic tournament following a meeting held
in Guwahati.
Selectors from six northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim — which comprise the Northeast zone, were present at the meeting.
“Apart from the trio, Lee Yong Lepcha from Sikkim has also been named in the list of stand-by players of the squad, while Sonam Palden Bhutia, also from the state, will work as the assistant coach of the squad,” said a source.