England hit by extra visa issues with Saqib Mahmood but to be granted entry to India for white-ball tour… as ECB are pressured to cancel his flight simply days earlier than first sport
- Mahmood had been due to leave for a bowling camp in the UAE last Thursday
- Star is in limbo and it is not yet clear whether he will be able to join the tour
- Shoaib Bashir experienced similar issues last year due to his Pakistani origins
England are facing more visa issues with Saqib Mahmood yet to be granted his visa for their tour to India which begins next week.
Mahmood was scheduled to leave for the UAE last Thursday for a pace bowling camp alongside Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood but the ECB were forced to cancel his flight with his passport still in the hands of the Indian Embassy.
Freezing conditions in the UK have left the 27-year-old unable to bowl outdoors while his England teammates are training in Abu Dhabi alongside fast-bowling mentor Jimmy Anderson.
Mahmood has spent the last few days in limbo, awaiting a resolution but is still uncertain if he will be able to join the rest of England’s touring party, when they depart this Friday.
England’s first T20 against India is in Kolkata next Wednesday.
Mahmood was named Player of the Series in England’s last white-ball tour to the West Indies in November, where took nine wickets in three matches and broke the record for the most powerplay wickets claimed by an England bowler in a men’s series.
Saqib Mahmood is yet to be granted a visa for England’s upcoming tour of India
The fast bowler starred on England’s last white-ball tour to the West Indies in November
Spinner Shoaib Bashir experienced similar problems ahead of England’s trip to India last year
The UAE trip was planned to help England’s seamers acclimatise to conditions ahead of the white-ball tour to India, which includes three ODI’s and five T20I’s and the subsequent Champions Trophy which takes place in Pakistan and UAE next month.
Last year, Lancashire travelled to India without Mahmood after failing to apply for a visa and in 2019, the ECB failed to obtain a visa for Mahmood to travel to India as part of an England Lions squad despite applying well in advance, due to his Pakistani heritage.
This is the latest episode of visa problems for England players with Pakistani heritage after Shoaib Bashir was forced to fly back to London on the eve of England’s Test series against India last year to obtain his visa and Rehan Ahmed was held in Rajkot as he only had a single-entry visa.
Mail Sport understands that Adil Rashid and Ahmed, also in the squad and of Pakistani heritage, have been granted their visa this time around.
The ECB declined to comment but are understood to be optimistic they will have Mahmood’s visa in time to leave with the group for India on Friday.
