Protege of Michael Clarke, Sandeep Lamichhane, has arrived in the West Indies for the T20 World Cup after he was banned from USA
Former BBL spinner Sandeep Lamichhane has joined his Nepal team for the T20 World Cup, after he was ineligible for their first two matches due to a VISA ban to the United States.
Michael Clarke’s former protégé has arrived in the West Indies for his country’s final two World Cup games, after being banned from entering the United States of America.
Sandeep Lamichhane, the former Big Bash League star from Nepal, was convicted for raping a young woman in Kathmandu, but that was quashed last month.
The USA refused to grant Lamichhane a VISA to enter America, despite two applications, but Nepal still elected to keep him in their 15-man squad despite knowing he would be ineligible for their first two matches.
Spinner, Lamichhane has quietly arrived in St Vincent to face up against the might of South Africa on Friday, West Indian time, with Nepal needing two wins to pull off a miraculous qualification for the Super Eights.
The young spinner was discovered by Clarke playing in Hong Kong back in 2016 and moved to Australia to play for the Test captain’s former Sydney first-grade club, Western Suburbs.
Lamichhane was a Big Bash star for the Hobart Hurricane and Melbourne Stars in the BBL and was the poster boy for Nepalese cricket until he was convicted of raping a young woman in a hotel room.
The dynamic spinner was facing eight years in jail until his rape conviction was overturned on appeal in May.
It wasn’t soon enough for the United States, who refused to grant him entry to their country despite intense lobbying.
Given Nepal are likely to be knocked out after the group stage, it’s extraordinary that they elected to keep Lamichhane in its 15-man World Cup squad.
There are only two matches left for the cricket battlers.
“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.
Lamichhane said on social media he was fulfilling a childhood dream to play in a World Cup, even if his entry to the toruanemt has been belated.
“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, formerly Twitter.
It’s unclear what Lamichhane’s Big Bash future might look like despite his acquittal.
Cricket.com reported that Lamichanne was flown to Australia by Clarke after starring in a Hong Kong T20 tournament where the former national skipper had spotted him.
Clarke was a huge fan, as was Ricky Ponting who signed him as the first Nepalese player to be part of the Indian Premier League.
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