Sandeep Lamichhane, a legspinner from Nepal, will not be part of Nepal’s team for the upcoming Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Dubai. This is because he is currently out on bail and facing charges of sexual coercion, which has resulted in bail conditions preventing him from travelling abroad.
Although attempts were made to secure court permission for him to travel, he was not included in the final squad announced by the Cricket Association of Nepal. Despite his absence, Nepal will begin their participation in the tri-series on Monday against Papua New Guinea.
Lamichhane’s inclusion in the previous Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Nepal was met with protests by fans and opponents. He was suspended by CAN last year after an arrest warrant was issued following allegations against him, but his suspension was lifted by CAN earlier this month and he was included in the squad for the tri-series against Namibia and Scotland.
Nepal is currently ranked sixth in the seven-team Cricket World Cup League 2 league table, and Lamichhane has picked up 55 wickets in the competition – the most for Nepal – and is third in the overall list of wicket-takers.
Nepal squad for UAE-PNG tri-series: Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Singh Airee, Gyanendra Malla, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Kushal Bhurtel, Lalit Rajbanshi, Bhim Sharki, Sundeep Jora, Kushal Malla, Shyam Dhakal, Gulshan Jha, Aarif Sheikh, Pratis GC