Nepal spinner Sandeep Lamichhane tests positive for COVID-19

Nepal spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who is set to feature for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL), has been tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The 20-year-old leg-spinner took to his official Twitter handle to reveal that he has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and had been facing body aches since Wednesday.

"Hi everyone, greetings to all. It is my sincere duty to tell you all that I have been tested positive for Covid-19. I had some body aches since Wednesday. But my health is improving a little bit now. If all goes well, I will return to the field again. Keep me in your prayers," Lamichhane wrote on Twitter.

Hi Everyone, Greetings to all.
Its my sincere duty to tell you all that I have been tested positive for COVID-19. I had some body aches since Wednesday. But my health is improving a little bit now. If all goes well, I will return to the field again. Keep me in your prayers.

— Sandeep Lamichhane (@Sandeep25) November 27, 2020

The news comes less than two weeks before the commencement of the Big Bash League (BBL).Hobart Hurricanes will square off with Sydney Sixers in the opening match of the T20 tournament on December 10.

Lamichhane will miss the first four matches of the BBL before he will travel to Australia in the middle of December. Upon his arrival, the Nepal spinner will undergo a  mandatory two-week quarantine before he is available to play Hobart Hurricanes' clash against Brisbane Heat at the Gabba, Brisbane on December 27.

Lamichhane, who featured for Melbourne Stars in the previous two seasons, was also named in the Delhi Capitals squad for the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but he didn't get a chance to play even a single game.