Visa hurdles finally over for rookie spinner Shoaib Bashir

NEW DELHI: In a resolution to the recent controversy surrounding the issuance of an Indian visa to England’s emerging off-spinner, Shoaib Bashir, the young talent has successfully obtained the visa. His visa was reportedly thrown into unnecessary delay because of his association with Pakistan.

Bashir is now poised to reunite with his teammates over the upcoming weekend, making him eligible for selection in the England Test lineup. There is anticipation that he might make his debut in the second match at Visakhapatnam.

The England Cricket Board announced on Wednesday that Shoaib Bashir has received his visa and is scheduled to join the team in India over the weekend. The board expressed satisfaction with the resolution of the situation.

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Earlier, the delay in securing an Indian visa for the 20-year-old off-spinner had triggered a significant controversy on the eve of the highly-anticipated Test series between England and India. Visiting skipper Ben Stokes termed the turn of events “frustrating,” while a British government spokesperson called for “fair” treatment for the young cricketer.

Shoaib Bashir, who plays for Somerset in the English county, had to return to England from the team’s Abu Dhabi training base due to the prolonged wait for his Indian visa. Notably, Bashir’s family has Pakistani heritage.

Despite being a surprising inclusion in the squad with modest stats of 10 wickets from six first-class games, Bashir was not initially considered for the opening Test. Stokes, in a pre-match press conference, expressed his disappointment, stating, “I’m pretty devastated that Bash has had to go through this.” The captain had earlier mentioned that the team had deliberated delaying their departure until Bashir’s visa issue was resolved.