England Cricket Board on Wednesday said that Shoaib Bashir has now received his visa, and is due to travel to join up with the team in India this weekend. We’re glad the situation has now been resolved in a post on X.
Earlier, The delay in issuance of an Indian visa to rookie England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir snowballed into a major controversy on the eve of a much-hyped Test series between the two countries with visiting skipper Ben Stokes calling the turn of events “frustrating” and a British government spokesperson demanding “fair” treatment for the youngster.
The 20-year-old, who plays for Somerset in the English county, was forced to head back to England from the team’s Abu Dhabi training base after a prolonged wait to secure an Indian visa. His family is of Pakistani heritage.
Bashir, who is a shock inclusion in the squad with a mediocre 10 wickets from just six first-class games, was never in contention for a place in the squad for the opening Test starting here on Thursday.
“When I first found the news out in Abu Dhabi, I did say we shouldn’t fly until Bash gets his visa,” Stokes said in the pre-match press conference.
“But that was a little bit tongue in cheek. I know it’s a way bigger thing than doing that. That was probably just emotions around the whole thing. I’m pretty devastated that Bash has had to go through this,” he added.
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Published: 24 Jan 2024, 07:06 PM IST