NEW DELHI: Resolving the recent controversy surrounding the issuance of Indian visa to England’s new off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, the young talent has successfully obtained the visa. His visa was allegedly delayed unnecessarily due to his connection with Pakistan.
Bashir is now set to reunite with his teammates over the coming weekend, making him eligible for selection in the England Test squad. It is expected that he might make his debut in the second match at Visakhapatnam.
The England Cricket Board announced on Wednesday that Shoaib Bashir has received a visa and is scheduled to join the team in India over the weekend. The board expressed satisfaction with the resolution of the situation.
Earlier, the delay in securing an Indian visa for the 20-year-old off-spinner had sparked a significant controversy on the eve of the highly-anticipated Test series between England and India. Visiting captain Ben Stokes described the turn of events as “frustrating”, while a British government spokesman called for “fair” treatment of the young cricketer.
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Shoaib Bashir, who plays for Somerset in the English county side, had to return to England from the team’s training base in Abu Dhabi due to a long wait for an Indian visa. It is noteworthy that Bashir’s family is of Pakistani origin.
Despite a surprise inclusion in the squad with modest figures of 10 wickets from six first-class matches, Bashir was not initially considered for the opening Test. Stokes expressed his disappointment in the pre-match press conference, saying: “I’m pretty devastated that Bash had to go through that.” The captain had mentioned earlier that the team was considering delaying their departure until Bashir’s visa issue was resolved.
