Nepal cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane. (FILE)
Nepal cricket team’s leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane will miss the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA as his visa has been denied for the second time in the same month. When it was rejected earlier the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) got involved in the matter on his behalf however the result has been the same.
“Despite taking necessary initiatives, along with the diplomatic note, from the government of Nepal, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Youth and Sports, National Sports Council, CAN and International Cricket Council (ICC) for cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane’s visit to participate in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies, the US Embassy has expressed its inability to give travel permission (visa) to national player Lamichhane to play the World Cup,” CAN said in a statement as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.
Lamicchane, who was convicted of rape by the Kathmandu District Court in January and sentenced to eight years in jail, was proven innocent in the Nepal High Court and freed of all the charges raised against him. “The district court’s verdict has been overturned, Sandeep Lamichhane has been acquitted,” setopati.com quoted the High Court’s deputy registrar and spokesperson, Bimal Parajuli, as saying.
“He had to be cleared and the high court has set him free. He was not guilty,” Sabita Bhadari Baral, a lawyer for the player told Reuters after the court verdict. The verdict meant that Lamicchane, who wasn’t picked in the provisional squad named by Nepal for the World Cup, made it into the squad. However, after VISA rejection for the second time, he won’t participate in the competition.
Cannot comment on individual visa cases
A spokesperson of the US Embassy in Kathmandu, according to Kathmandu Post said, “The US Embassy in Kathmandu and other US consular posts around the world have made a concerted effort to ensure that members of national cricket teams who qualify for the appropriate visa class can travel in time to compete in the World Cup,”.
“We cannot comment on individual visa cases as visa records are confidential under US law,” he added.
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