T20 World Cup: Sandeep Lamichhane to Join Nepal Squad in West Indies

Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane will join Nepal’s T20 World Cup squad in the West Indies after missing matches in the United States due to a brief delay in his visa, the cricket association said Monday.

“Nepali player Sandeep Lamichhane will leave for the West Indies for the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup and join the Nepali national cricket team,” association secretary Paras Khadka said in a statement.

Nepal had originally wanted to select former skipper Lamichhane, who had an eight-year sentence for rape quashed on appeal, but his US visa was denied twice despite intense lobbying.

“I am now joining the national team for the last two matches in the West Indies and looking forward to fulfilling my dreams and the dream of all cricket lovers,” Lamichhane posted on X.

Spin bowler Lamichhane, 23, was once the poster boy for cricket in Nepal, but was convicted for raping a young woman in a Kathmandu hotel in 2022. That was quashed last month.

Nepal lost to the Netherlands by six wickets in their World Cup opener. They play against Sri Lanka on Wednesday in Florida, before matches in the West Indies against South Africa and Bangladesh.

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