<p>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.</p>.<p>Lamichhane is accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in a Kathmandu hotel room last August.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>He returned to the side in the opening game of a World Cup League 2 tri-series against Namibia in Kathmandu.</p>.<p>Cheering supporters welcomed back the 22-year-old, who maintains his innocence, and he was seen weeping after taking a wicket.</p>.<p>"Okay, he is facing accusations. He should be punished if it is proven," fan Saroj Ghimire told AFP.</p>.<p>"But my view is that he should not be kept out of matches just because of such accusations."</p>.<p>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".</p>.<p>Nepal won the match by two wickets, with Lamichhane taking three wickets in all.</p>.<p>Lamichhane had been a poster boy for the rise of cricket in Nepal, which gained one-day international status in 2018.</p>.<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>.<p>Lamichhane is accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in a Kathmandu hotel room last August.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>He returned to the side in the opening game of a World Cup League 2 tri-series against Namibia in Kathmandu.</p>.<p>Cheering supporters welcomed back the 22-year-old, who maintains his innocence, and he was seen weeping after taking a wicket.</p>.<p>"Okay, he is facing accusations. He should be punished if it is proven," fan Saroj Ghimire told AFP.</p>.<p>"But my view is that he should not be kept out of matches just because of such accusations."</p>.<p>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".</p>.<p>Nepal won the match by two wickets, with Lamichhane taking three wickets in all.</p>.<p>Lamichhane had been a poster boy for the rise of cricket in Nepal, which gained one-day international status in 2018.</p>.<p>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.</p>