Sandeep Lamichhane Denied Visa By US Embassy; World Cup Participation In Doubt
Lamichhane's participation in the World Cup remains doubtful. (X)
In a major setback for Sandeep Lamichhane, the United States Embassy in Kathmandu has denied the Nepali cricketer a visa, jeopardising his participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. The multi-nation tournament is scheduled to begin in the US on June 2.
Lamichhane was expected to be added to Nepal’s 15-man T20 World Cup squad after being cleared of rape charges by an appeal court on Wednesday, May 15. Initially left out of the squad, he was all set to join before the ICC's May 25 deadline, which allows changes to the squad without requiring the permission of the ICC Technical Committee.
Lamichhane's visa denied
On Wednesday, Sandeep confirmed through social media that his visa application had been denied by the US Embassy.
He had planned to travel to the USA and the West Indies to participate in the T20 World Cup, while other members of the Nepali team have already flown abroad for the matches.
"The U.S. Embassy in Nepal has done it again, just like in 2019: they denied my visa for the T20 World Cup happening in the USA and the West Indies," Sandeep Lamichhane wrote on his social media.
He described the incident as unfortunate and apologised for not being able to represent Nepal this time.
The Nepali team is currently preparing for the World Cup in the US. Nepal will start its World Cup campaign after playing two warm-up matches against the US and Canada in Dallas, Texas.
Nepal is in Group D of the T20 World Cup 2024, along with South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands.
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