T20 World Cup 2024: Big blow to Nepal as Sandeep Lamichhane denied US visa for second time in four years

T20 World Cup 2024: In a big setback to Nepal cricket team, star spinner Sandeep Lamichhane has been denied US visa to participate in the T20 World Cup 2024 in June. Notably, the 23-year-old was recently acquitted in a rape case because of "a lack of evidence".

A single-judge bench of the Kathmandu court in January had found Lamichhane guilty and given him jail sentence for raping an 18-year-old woman. He was arrested in September 2022 in the same case but was later released on bail. Cricket Association Nepal (CAN) suspended the former captain on both the occasions.

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Earlier in May, Sandeep Lamichhane had lodged an appeal against his prison sentence. He was granted permission to stay out of jail while the legal proceedings were ongoing.

The high-profile cricketer, who featured in the ODI Asia Cup 2023 last year, on Wednesday claimed that the US embassy had denied him a visa for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, where he was hoping to make a comeback to international cricket following his acquittal in a rape case.

Exactly a week ago, the 23-year-old leg-spinner was acquitted by an appeals court following which the ICC allowed the Nepal cricket board to add him to the World Cup squad. The Nepal team is already in the Caribbean and has been training in St Vincent.

“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,” Lamichhane posted on X, quoting an earlier post when he was denied visa in 2019.

In 2019, Lamichhane was looking to compete in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) but was denied a visa by the US embassy. Gearing up to play in its only second T20 World Cup, Nepal has been placed in Group D along with South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Netherlands.

In the absence of Lamichhane, Nepal had handed the reins of the team to batting all-rounder Rohit Paudel. The Cricket Association of Nepal president Chatur Bahadur Chand was recently quoted as saying in media reports that they are looking to add Lamichhane to their World Cup squad.

(With PTI Input)