India vs England: Uncapped English spinner Shoaib Bashir forced to stay back in UAE due to visa trouble
India vs England: Uncapped English spinner Shoaib Bashir forced to stay back in UAE due to visa trouble
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Uncapped England spinner Shoaib Bashir has been forced to stay back in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to visa trouble ahead of the five-Test series against India which gets underway in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Bashir, who is of Pakistani origin, has been included in the Test squad and had been training in Abu Dhabi with the rest of the team ahead of the tour that is set to span more than a month. A delay in paperwork, however, meant that he could not board the flight to India with the rest of the Ben Stokes-led Test squad.
Stuart Hooper, who has recently joined the ECB as their new managing director of cricket operations, is accompanying Bashir, reported ESPNCricinfo.
Watch: England cricket team arrives in Hyderabad ahead of India Test series
Meanwhile, England’s red-ball head coach Brendon McCullum informed that the ECB has raised the issue with the relevant authorities in the BCCI as well as the Indian government, while expecting the issue to be resolved within 24 hours.
Although the delay will cause Bashir to miss out on preparations for around two days, McCullum has assured that the Somerset player will remain in contention for selection for the first Test.
“Bash will join us hopefully tomorrow as well. He’s got a couple of issues with his visa coming through. We’re confident on the back of the help from the BCCI and the Indian government that will sort itself out pretty quickly as well,” McCullum said.
“Things take time, don’t they? Everyone is doing what they can. It’s a process we need to go through.
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“We’re pretty confident that we’re close. The time that Bash had with the squad over in Abu Dhabi, where he fitted in seamlessly, will serve him greatly.
“We’ve also got a little bit of support out there for him, so he’s not on his own. We’re hoping the news will come through today that his visa has been approved, then we’ll get him to sink his teeth into this series,” he added.
With PTI inputs
