Sandeep Lamichhane, the leg spinner from Nepal, was contracted to play for the Oval Invincibles in the inaugural edition of the Hundred. However, the Nepalese cricketer will not be able to play in the new hundred-ball format game due to visa issues. The Nepalese cricketer is reportedly waiting for a “clean answer” from the ECB. Visa issues had also earlier ruled Lamichhane out of the T20 Blast competition. As already announced by the ECB, Tabraiz Shamsi has been named Lamichhane’s replacement for the Hundred.
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Player Says He Has Complied with all Instructions Given by ECB
The player said that he had closely followed all instructions given to him by officials of the ECB. The player said that he had arrived in the UK on 9 July and was not informed of any issues at the immigration desk. The authorities had even moved the cricketer to a government-managed facility to complete his quarantine period. “I am extremely gutted for missing out on The Hundred. I was so looking forward to playing for my team Oval Invincibles and followed all the instructions that was given to me by the ECB officials.”
Player Informed of Visa Issues After Completing Quarantine
Lamichhane was reportedly told that his contract with Invincibles had to be cancelled although he had completed his mandatory quarantine. According to the bowler, he was informed about the visa issues only after he had completed his quarantine in London. Two days before the end of his quarantine, he was told to leave the UK, although he had reportedly entered the country via the quarantine facility that the government itself managed. According to Lamichhane, the ECB had informed him that his visa was not valid.
Lamichhane Weighs in
Speaking to the media, Lamichhane said, “When I applied for the Tier 5 visa, I was told that one Certificate of Sponsorship [COS] would be enough for my gig at Vitality Blast and the Hundred. Due to the COVID-19 situation, there was a delay in my visa and Worcestershire pulled out but it was again communicated to me by officials that as long as I come into the UK before July 10, I would be okay as my COS was still active.”
Lamichhane Weighs in
Speaking to the media, Lamichhane said, “When I applied for the Tier 5 visa, I was told that one Certificate of Sponsorship [COS] would be enough for my gig at Vitality Blast and the Hundred. Due to the COVID-19 situation, there was a delay in my visa and Worcestershire pulled out but it was again communicated to me by officials that as long as I come into the UK before July 10, I would be okay as my COS was still active.”“I came to the UK by July 9, had no issues whatsoever at the immigration, and moved into the government-managed quarantine facility to complete my quarantine. On July 18, two days before my quarantine completion, I was told by ECB that my visa is not valid and I have to leave the country ASAP. I have been asking what went wrong but apparently, no one at the ECB has the correct answer,” he added.
Lamichhane’s exemplary record in T20 cricket speaks for itself. He has taken 138 wickets in 101 matches at an economy rate of 6.86 and a strike rate of 15.90.