New Delhi: Nepal cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane has claimed to have been denied the US visa to play in the upcoming T20 World Cup that will be staged in the Caribbean and America.
The spinner was recently acquitted of rape charges involving a minor after being convicted of it. He was then included in the squad for the mega event that begins on June 1. Nepal have qualified for the very first time in their history.
Lamichhane was barred from playing in international as well as domestic cricket after the earlier guilty verdict but was later included in Nepal’s provisional team after he was cleared of any wrongdoing by a Nepal court.
Lamichhane wrote on social media that this is the second time he has been denied visa to enter USA after being denied in 2019 for the Caribbean Premier League.
“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,” said Lamichhane.
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
Cricket Nepal president Chatur Bahadur Chand has assured to make all necessary arrangements to ensure Lamichhane gets approval to fly for the tournament.
“He 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,” Bahadur was quoted as saying by India Today.
“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.”
Nepal are clubbed in Group D along with South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. Teams have time till May 25 to make changes to their provisional squads.
