According to Nepal cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane, he has been denied visa for the United States of America and the West Indies ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Lamichhane was recently acquitted of rape charges by a Nepal high court, which reversed the verdict passed by a lower court earlier that had found him guilty and sentenced him to eight years in jail.
He had also been suspended from playing international or domestic cricket, a ban which has now been lifted, making him available for Nepal for the T20 World Cup in the Americas. However, Lamichhane posted on X (Twitter) that his US visa has been denied, reducing his chances of playing in the tournament. A similar incident had occurred back in 2019, when he was denied a US visa.
“And the @USEmbassyNepal did it again what they did back in 2019, they denied my Visa for the T-20 World Cup happening in USA and West Indies,” Lamichhane wrote. “Unfortunate. I am sorry to all the well wishers of Nepal Cricket.”
And the @USEmbassyNepal did it again what they did back in 2019, they denied my Visa for the T-20 World Cup happening in USA and West Indies. Unfortunate. I am sorry to all the well wishers of Nepal Cricket. @USAmbNepal @CricketNep. https://t.co/xdBhaY6G91
— Sandeep Lamichhane (@Sandeep25) May 22, 2024
While almost all teams have announced their provisional T20 World Cup squads, they have till May 25 to make changes and submit their final 15 names for the tournament.
Last week, the Nepal Cricket Board president Chatur Bahadur said that they were making every effort to get Lamichhane in the T20 World Cup squad.
Speaking to IndiaToday.in, he said, “He (Lamichhane) has been set free by the law, and we are happy for him. He was sentenced to jail by the lower courts, but today the high court set him free. We have removed the suspension as well, and we have time until the 25th to include him in the World Cup squad.
“I will talk to the selection committee and will also write to the ICC. After taking permission from the technical committee, we will add him to the squad. I am trying my best; let’s hope for the best.”
The denial of visa, however, comes as a major blow for Lamichhane’s chances of representing Nepal at the T20 World Cup. They are placed in Group D, and are scheduled to play one match each in Dallas and Lauderhill, and two games at St. Vincent in the first round.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where Nepal are scheduled to play their last two first round games, is one of the 13 countries where Nepal residents can travel without a visa.
With only three days to go for the final squad announcement deadline, it remains to be seen if Nepal are somehow able to accommodate Lamichhane in the 15.
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