Shoaib Bashir receives India visa, will join Test squad over weekend

Shoaib Bashir has received his Indian visa and will leave to join the England Test team in Hyderabad this weekend, following a long saga in which the uncapped spinner had to return to the UK from the United Arab Emirates to finalize the process, while the rest of his teammates traveled to India ahead of Thursday's first Test.

Bashir, who was born and raised in Surrey, has faced delays due to his Pakistani heritage, something English players with similar backgrounds have faced in the past. In 2019, Saqib Mahmood was left out of an England Lions tour of India, while Moeen Ali arrived late to the 2022 IPL season. Usman Khawaja, whose parents were born in Islamabad, also arrived late for Australia's tour of India last year.

After an initial stay in the United Arab Emirates in the company of Stuart Hooper, director of cricket operations at the ECB, Bashir returned to London – where his passport was issued – to resolve the matter at the Indian high commission. Hooper joined the team in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

“Shoaib Bashir has now received his visa and is due to travel this weekend to join the team in India,” an ECB spokesperson said. “We are pleased that the situation has now been resolved.”

The saga attracted the attention of the British government, which called on India to “treat British citizens fairly at all times in its visa process”, while Ben Stokes, the England captain, revealed that his team had briefly considered refusing to travel until Bashir was cleared.

Stokes' emotional reaction came in Abu Dhabi during England's pre-tour training camp, when it emerged that Bashir had not received his documents, leaving him unable to travel with the rest of the squad. The England team and support staff on Sunday.

“When I first heard the news in Abu Dhabi, I said we shouldn't fly until Bash gets his visa,” Stokes said. “But it was a little ironic. I know it's a much bigger thing than doing that. It was probably just emotions around the whole thing. I'm pretty devastated that Bash had to go through that.

“As a leader, as a captain, when one of your teammates is affected by something like that, you get a bit emotional. I know he's back in London and a lot of people are making an effort to try to get this through faster.

“I hope we see him here this weekend. There has never been [realistic] Chances are we'll never get around this situation, but Bash knows he had our full support.”

The British government intervened on Wednesday, reiterating its position that India should treat British citizens “fairly” when they apply for visas. A government spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo: “The details of this matter are a matter for Shoaib Bashir and the Government of India. »

The spokesperson added: “But we absolutely expect India to treat British citizens fairly at all times in its visa process. We have previously raised the issues of British citizens with Pakistani heritage experience who apply for a visa to the Indian High Commission in London.”

The ECB had received constant assurances from the BCCI and the Indian High Commission that the matter would be resolved, but the delay meant Bashir was excluded from competition for the first Test – for which England selected three specialist spinners , including another uncapped tourist in Tom. Hartley.

With the case now resolved, it is understood Bashir will spend a few days at home to decompress after the ordeal. The second Test of the five-match series begins on Friday 2, in Visakhapatnam.

“I hope we see him again in India this weekend,” Stokes said. “My feelings about it haven't changed. It's obviously a frustrating situation, and especially for him. We announced our team in mid-December. It's now January 24 and he still doesn't have a Visa.”

England announced their squad on December 11 and the ECB filed visa applications immediately afterwards. Rehan Ahmed, the other Test squad player of Pakistani origin, already had the necessary documents after being on hold during last year's World Cup.

“Hopefully we can sort this out, we can get Bash here and he can concentrate on the rest of this tour,” added Stokes. “It’s a shame he had to go through something like that in his first experience with the England team.”

Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, expressed sympathy for Bashir's plight. “I feel for him, honestly,” he said. “Unfortunately, I'm not sitting at the visa office to give you more details on that, but I hope he can arrive quickly, enjoy our country and play some cricket as well.”

Additional reports: Matte roller. This story was updated at 1:15 p.m. GMT following Bashir's visa announcement