Cricket star Sandeep Lamichhane has rape conviction overturned in Nepalese appeal court

Cricket superstar Sandeep Lamichhane has had his rape conviction overturned in a Nepalese appeal court on Wednesday (May 15) after being sentenced to eight years in prison and handed a fine of just under £3,000.

In September 2022, police were contacted and an official complaint was filed after Lamichhane, 23, was accused of raping an alleged minor in a hotel room in Kathmandu. He immediately denied any wrongdoing, but nonetheless turned himself into Nepalese police in October of 2022.

Not only has his guilty verdict been overturned, his cricketing ban has also been lifted. As such, Lamichhane will now be eligible to play in the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place next month. This will be a huge boost for fans of Nepalese cricket - not only is he considered their most important player, he is also the face of cricket in Nepal.

Additionally, he is also fastest player to reach 100 ODI wickets in terms of innings - he reached this total over the course of just 42 innings for his country.

His last appearance on the international stage for Nepal came back in November. He continued to play for his country after the allegations had become public knowledge, with several audiences protesting this decisions and certain players refusing to shake hands with him.

A skilled leg spinner, Lamiechhane has a one-day international bowling average of 18.06 and a T20 international bowling average of 12.58. At domestic level, he has accumulated a bowling average of 17.44 in T20.

Lamichhane and his supporters celebrated wildly upon hearing the news, loudly playing traditional Nepalese musical instruments in a display of jubilation and relief.

Following the verdict, one of Lamichhane’s lawyers, Sabita Bhadari Baral, said to Reuters [via Sky Sports]: “He had to be cleared and the high court has set him free. He was not guilty.”