Nepal's Sandeep Lamichhane cleared of rape charges ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

In major relief for Sandeep Lamichhane, an appeal court in Nepal cleared the country's most successful cricketer of rape charges on Wednesday.

The Nepal Cricket Board stated that efforts will be made to include Lamichhane in their squad for the T20 World Cup in USA and the West Indies in June.

"He has been set free by the law, and we are happy for him. He was sentenced to jail by the lower courts, but today the high court set him free. We have removed the suspension as well, and we have time until the 25th to include him in the World Cup squad," Nepal board president Bahdur said.

"I will talk to the selection committee and will also write to the ICC. After taking permission from the technical committee, we will add him to the squad. I am trying my best; let's hope for the best," it added.

The 23-year-old all-rounder, who had his conviction quashed, had previously been sentenced to 8 years in prison for sexual assault after a lower court found him guilty of raping an 18-year-old. Lamichhane was also suspended by the country's cricket body after that.

However, Lamichhane claimed innocence before his arrest and called the allegations a "conspiracy".

Lamichhane has scalped over 100 wickets in more than 103 white-ball matches for Nepal.

He has also had a brief stint in the Indian Premier League with the Delhi Capitals between 2018-20, bagging 13 wickets in nine fixtures.