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Star spinner's Absence Big Blow For Nepal As They Gear Up For World Cup League 2 Tri-Series In Dubai

image-lel143mlSandeep Lamichhane performed brilliantly against Scotland & Namibia (Twitter)

Nepal cricketer, Sandeep Lamichhane, will not be participating in the Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Dubai due to his ongoing legal issues. The cricketer has been accused of sexual coercion and is currently out on bail, with travel restrictions imposed on him.

Despite the efforts made to obtain court permission to enable his travel, his name was omitted from the final squad announced by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).

The leg spinner's exclusion from the team is a significant setback for Nepal, considering his instrumental role in the recent Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series, in which Nepal secured four close victories against Scotland and Namibia. The cricketer displayed an impressive performance, taking 13 wickets in four matches.

However, his involvement in that series was met with opposition from both fans and opponents, including the Scotland team, who refused to shake hands with him post-match. Likewise, the Namibian team opted for bumping fists instead of the customary handshake after one of their games.

CAN had suspended Lamichhane last year after an arrest warrant was issued following allegations of sexual coercion against him. However, he was later released on bail, leading to the suspension being lifted earlier this month.

The inclusion of Lamichhane in the team for the recent tri-series against Scotland and Namibia was made possible by the suspension's lifting. With 55 wickets under his belt in Cricket World Cup League 2, the cricketer is currently the highest wicket-taker for Nepal and is ranked third on the overall list of wicket-takers.

With the spinner’s omission from the squad, Nepal's Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series prospects have taken a considerable hit. It will be interesting to see how the Rohit Paudel side fares in the absence of their leading bowler.

Nepal squad for UAE-PNG tri-series: Rohit Paudel (c), Aasif Sheikh (wk), Dipendra Singh Airee, Gyanendra Malla, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Bhim Sharki, Shyam Dhakal, Sundeep Jora, Pratis GC, Gulshan Jha, Aarif Sheikh