Young leg-spin sensation Sandeep Lamichhane and women’s cricket team vice-captain Sita Rana Magar were declared the best players of the year at the NCCS-CPAN Cricket Awards on Tuesday.

It is first ever specific award of the sport organised by Cricket Players Association Nepal (CPAN). While Rohit Kumar Paudel was named the emerging cricketer, Komal Pandey was honoured with the lifetime achievement award. Karan KC was rewarded with the moment of the year award decided through public voting.

Lamichhane, the new poster boy of Nepali cricket, was instrumental in Nepal’s success at the international arena having taken 84 wickets from 34 games. He was named player-of-the-series during the ICC World Cricket League Division 2, a tournament that laid the foundation for Nepal to earn the One-Day International (ODI) status.

The 18-year old was not available to receive his award as he is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League for Lahore Qalandars in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). National team skipper Paras Khadka received the award on behalf of Lamichhane. Khadka himself was among the five nominees in the category that also included Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee and KC.

Due to availability of only one tournament, the seven-member independent selection committee considered January’s Women’s Twenty20 Smash in Thailand for the women’s category and Rana Magar was chosen for the award. She had scored 138 runs from six matches with the best of 48—the best so far for Nepal in the Twenty20 International. She had also taken four wickets.

Rana Magar thanked everyone who helped her during the period. “There is a long list whom I need to thank for. Its a great initiation from CPAN for coming up with this award and I want to thank them as well,” said Rana Magar. Indu Barma, her national team skipper Rubin Chhetri Belbashi, Karuna Bhandari and Sarita Magar were the other nominees for the award.

Paudel, touted as the future of Nepali cricket, was proved as the revelation during Nepal’s Division 2 campaign in Namibia where he played crucial roles in the crunch matches for the national team. He also became world’s youngest half century scorer in the ODIs, a feat he achieved during Nepal’s maiden ODI series triumph against the UAE. He pipped women team’s Kabita Kunwar, Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi, Abinash Bohora and Sundeep Jora for the honour.

The moment of the year was given to the best moment with KC’s miraculous innings against Canada in Division 2 voted the best. Down and out at 144-9 while Nepal were chasing 195 in a must-win game, KC shared an unbroken 51-run stand for the last wicket with Lamichhane to seal the country a sensation last-ball victory. That triumph kept Nepal in the hunt for the ODI status.

Gyanendra Malla’s three athletic catches against the UAE in a Twenty20 International on February 3, Rubina Chhetri’s allround performance against Indonesia in the Twenty20 Smash semi-final, Sompal Kami’s five-wicket haul against the UAE in the second ODI on January 26, Paudel and Jora’s half century against the UAE, Khadka’s ODI ton in the third one-dayer on January 28, women’s team final progress in Thailand and Lamichhane’s entry to the Indian Premier League were other nominations in the category.

Pandey is one of the longest serving individual of Nepali cricket who initially started as a cricketer and later served as curator at the TU grounds. While the male player of the year received Rs 132,000, rest of the winners received Rs 66,000 each. The award ceremony added more flavour with performances from stand-up comedian Sandeep Chhetri, singer Dharmendra Sewan and cultural display from the students of National College for Computer Studies.