Nepal’s star cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane defended failing to return home to face rape allegations almost three weeks after an arrest warrant issued, saying he intends to do so “as soon as possible”.
On 8 September a Nepali court issued the warrant following an allegation by a 17-year-old girl, but Lamichhane is thought to have remained in the Caribbean, where he was playing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
With police believed to be preparing to file an arrest warrant with Interpol, Lamichhane on Sunday issued a statement on his social media reiterating that the claims against him were baseless.
“News of the arrest warrant issued against me... made me mentally disturbed. I could not think what to do and what not to do,” he wrote.
“My health condition is gradually improving and I am planning to return to Nepal as soon as possible to vehemently fight back (against the allegations).”
Lamichhane, 22, is the poster boy for the rise of cricket in mountainous Nepal, which gained One-Day International (ODI) status in 2018.
The leg spinner’s big break came when he was snapped up by the Delhi Capitals for the money-spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2018, and he has since been Nepal’s most-sought-after cricketer.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
