England, captained by Ben Stokes, are ready to feature in a 5-match India vs England Test series. The opening match is scheduled to be held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad starting January 25. Unfortunately, the young English off-spinner, Shoaib Bashir, will miss the series opener due to visa application issues. He has returned to the UK to address the matter and resolve the issue. Reacting to the situation, Stokes expressed his disapproval.
Shoaib Bashir, the 20-year-old British Muslim of Pakistani heritage initially faced significant delays in obtaining his visa, making him the sole member of the England touring party encountering such issues. While his teammates proceeded to Hyderabad for the first test following a training camp in Abu Dhabi, Bashir remained in the Emirates. Despite efforts by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to resolve the matter in the UAE, where ECB's managing director of operations, Stuart Hooper, stayed with Bashir as per a ESPN Cricinfo report, a solution could not be reached.
'I Find It Particularly Frustrating'
Ahead of the first Test, Stokes expressed his frustration for Bashir, emphasising that the squad for the India series was announced in mid-December. Stokes empathised with Bashir, stating that he didn't want such a situation to be the young cricketer's first experience with the England Test team.
"Especially as captain I find it particularly frustrating. 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. 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,” said Stokes as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.
"Him not being able to be here rules him out," Stokes confirmed on January 23 (Tuesday).