Who is Sher Malla, the Nepal spinner who dismissed Phil Salt with his first ball in international cricket? - Wisden

Debuting at the 2026 T20 World Cup , Sher Malla dismissed Phil Salt with his first ball in international cricket.

Nepal gave out an international cap to Malla ahead of their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against England. In the process, Malla became the 53rd male cricketer to play a T20I for Nepal.

Malla became the 141st man to make his T20I debut at a T20 World Cup, but only the eighth in this decade, when the format has become more structured.

Rohit Paudel gave Malla the second over after Karan KC conceded five off the first. Malla bowled on middle and leg, which Salt tried to slog over square-leg and mistimed, and Sandeep Lamichhane held the catch at fine leg.

This made Malla the second Nepal bowler to take a wicket with his first ball in men’s T20Is. His predecessor, the legendary Paras Khadka, who presented Malla with the Nepal cap before the match – had done this with Nepal’s first ball in international cricket – at the 2014 T20 World Cup.

Note: Khadka was not the first to take a wicket with his first ball in the T20I career in the Chattogram match: Nadeem Ahmed of Hong Kong had dismissed Subash Khakurel with his first ball as well.

An off-spinner, Malla played for Nepal A in the U19 Challenger Trophy of 2019/20 that also featured India U19s A, B, and C. Against India U19s A, he trapped Dhruv Jurel leg-before.

He had an excellent run in the 2025 Nepal Premier League as the Lumbini Lions, after finishing fourth in the league, won all three playoffs to lift the title. Malla had 4-0-22-3 in the Eliminator, 4-0-31-1 in the Qualifier 2 (he bowled Faf du Plessis), and 4-0-18-3 in the final .

His 17 wickets at 13.76, the joint-most in the league, earned him the Emerging Player award.

© 2026 Wisden.com All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Hi there! We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalized content. By clicking 'Accept All Cookies', you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to analyze site usage.

I agree to receiving the Wisden Cricket Weekly newsletter. The newsletter may contain online ads and content funded by outside parties. For further details, please consult our online Privacy Policy.