Sandeep Lamichhane has been given an eight-year jail sentence in Nepal for rape. -AAP Image
A court in Nepal has sentenced the country's highest-profile cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane to eight years in jail after he was convicted of raping an 18-year-old woman.
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His lawyer said Lamichhane, who has played for Melbourne Stars and the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL, would launch a higher court appeal.
Lamichhane, 23, has been the face of cricket in Nepal and the only player from the Himalayan country to take part in prominent Twenty20 leagues in not just Australia, but also India, Pakistan and West Indies.
The legspinner was suspended as Nepal's captain and taken into custody after police issued an arrest warrant for him over the assault in 2022, and was later released on bail.
Kathmandu district court official Chandra Prasad Panthi said Lamichhane should also pay about $US3770 ($A5630) as a fine and compensation to the victim.
Lamichhane was found guilty of rape last month and the sentence was announced on Wednesday.
His lawyer said before the sentencing that Lamichhane would appeal against his conviction.
"We are not convinced about the decision of the court ... The court has whimsically declared Sandeep to be a convict. Sandeep will go to the higher court for justice," lawyer Saroj Ghimire told Reuters on Wednesday.
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