The England cricket team received a big blow ahead of the first Test against India as young spinner Shoaib Bashir had to return home because of an unresolved visa issue. Bashir was to join the rest of his teammates in Hyderabad but the player with his roots in Pakistan couldn’t find a resolution in time for the series opener. England skipper Ben Stokes admitted being frustrated because of the issue, saying he feels for the player who was in the running for a spot in the playing XI for the first Test.
Bashir was training with the England team in the Abu Dhabi camp ahead of his India arrival but with his visa application denied, the spinner had to return to the United Kingdom.
Stokes admitted that it’s frustrating to see a player being denied a chance to participate in the match because of a non-sporting reason.
“We announced that squad in mid-December, and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here. I am more frustrated for him. I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team. I feel for him,” Stokes told ESPNcricinfo on the matter.
“But he’s not the first cricketer to go through this, I have played with a lot of people who have had the same issues. I find it frustrating that we have picked a player and he’s not with us because of visa issues. Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him. It’s a frustrating situation to be in, but a lot of people have been trying to get it through. It’s unfortunate and I’m very frustrated for him,” he added.
England’s Test squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (wk), Dan Lawrence, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.
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