Fans cheer rape-accused Lamichhane as he returns to action

Hundreds of Nepali cricket fans cheered Tuesday as the country's star spin bowler Sandeep Lamichhane returned to the field while on bail facing rape charges.

Lamichhane is accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in a Kathmandu hotel room last August.

He was suspended as national captain and arrested, but was freed on bail at the end of last month, with Nepal's cricket association announcing a day later his ban had been lifted.

He returned to the side in the opening game of a World Cup League 2 tri-series against Namibia in Kathmandu.

Cheering supporters welcomed back the 22-year-old, who maintains his innocence, and he was seen weeping after taking a wicket.

"Okay, he is facing accusations. He should be punished if it is proven," fan Saroj Ghimire told AFP.

"But my view is that he should not be kept out of matches just because of such accusations."

His selection has sparked anger among women's rights activists in the country, and many on Twitter criticised his inclusion, posting "not my national team".

Nepal won the match by two wickets, with Lamichhane taking three wickets in all.

Lamichhane had been a poster boy for the rise of cricket in Nepal, which gained one-day international status in 2018.

His big break came when he was snapped up by the Delhi Capitals for the big-money Indian Premier League that year, and he has since been Nepal's most sought-after cricketer.