England team has started their preparation for the first Test match against India in Hyderabad. Unfortunately, their uncapped spinner, Shoaib Bashir, couldn’t join the preparations because of visa issues, stranding him in the UAE.
Skipper Ben Stokes and his team arrived in India on Sunday, with the first Test to be played on Thursday. They had a training camp in Abu Dhabi. However, Bashir, the Somerset offspinner with Pakistani heritage, is still in Abu Dhabi because of a delay in paperwork.
This delay is stopping him from joining the rest of the squad. Stuart Hooper, the newly appointed managing director of cricket operations at the ECB, is with him during this time.
Brendon McCullum, the head coach of England, said that the England Cricket Board (ECB) has talked to the necessary authorities, including the Indian government. He thinks there will be good news in the next 24 hours.
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 will sort itself out pretty quickly as well.Things take time, don’t they? Everyone is doing what they can. It’s a process we need to go through. 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.
McCullum mentioned that he has some support, so he’s not alone in this. We’re waiting for the news about his visa approval, and once that happens, he’ll be ready to fully engage in this series.
Earlier, Dan Lawrence joined the 16-player squad after Harry Brook had to leave due to a family emergency. Brook went back to the UK on Sunday, but Lawrence stayed in the UAE to play for Desert Vipers in the International League T20 (ILT20).