By Sandeep Lamichhane is set to join the Nepal World Cup squad for the Caribbean leg of their campaign, having sat out their first two matches in the USA. The former Nepal captain faced an eight-year prison sentence before his rape conviction was overturned on appeal just before the World Cup. Despite lobbying efforts by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and several Nepal government agencies, he was denied a US visa.
As a result, Nepal played without their star leg-spinner when they lost to the Netherlands in Dallas last week, and he will also be absent when they face Sri Lanka in Lauderhill, Florida, on Wednesday. Lamichhane will be available for Nepal’s final two matches against South Africa and Bangladesh in Kingstown, St Vincent.
Lamichhane is understood to have been included in the final squad list submitted to the ICC before the tournament, although his name was not publicly announced. The ICC and CAN had instead listed travelling reserve Patish GC among the 15.
Nepal’s Lamichhane to Join Squad for Caribbean Leg of T20 World Cup
Having arrived in the Caribbean, Lamichhane has considerable experience in the region from his stints at the CPL with the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Barbados Tridents, and Jamaica Tallawahs. Although he has not played a competitive match since late last year, he has been training regularly at Kathmandu’s TU Ground since being cleared.
In a statement posted on social media, Lamichhane expressed his gratitude, saying, “I would like to thank the Government of Nepal, Foreign Ministry, Sports Ministry, National Sports Council, and Cricket Association of Nepal for their support in helping me get a US visa, but unfortunately, it did not work out this time. I am now joining the National team for the last two matches in the West Indies and look forward to fulfilling my dreams and the dream of all cricket lovers.” He also defended CAN president Chatur Bahadur Chand and secretary Paras Khadka against criticism.
CAN confirmed the move in a similar statement, saying, “Nepal player Sandeep Lamichhane will leave for the West Indies to join the Nepal team for the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Following the decision of the honorable Patan High Court on May 15th, CAN decided to keep young bowler Pratish Ji as travelling reserve and include Lamichhane in the 15-member list submitted to the ICC. We sincerely hope all Nepali cricket supporters will unite and cheer for the Nepal team in this grand festival of cricket in which Nepal is participating for the first time in ten years.”
