Nepal's Lamichhane to miss T20 World Cup after US visa denial

Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane will miss the Twenty20 World Cup after a second visa application to the US was rejected, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) said.

Lamichhane, who last week said he had an earlier visa application rejected and was also denied a US visa in 2019, will be unable to travel to the tournament in the US and West Indies.

Lamichhane was suspended as Nepal captain in 2022 and taken into custody after police issued an arrest warrant for him over an assault of an 18-year-old woman.

He was found guilty of rape in December 2023 and sentenced to eight years in jail in January but cleared of the charges by an appeal court in Nepal earlier this month.

"We would like to inform that the US Embassy has inability to give travel permission (visa) to national player Sandeep Lamichhane to play the World Cup," CAN said in a statement on Thursday.

The 23-year-old is the only player from the Himalayan country to take part in prominent Twenty20 leagues in India, Australia, Pakistan and the West Indies.

Nepal begin their World Cup campaign with a match against the Netherlands on June 4, before facing Sri Lanka, South Africa and Bangladesh in Group D.