Indian Visa Delays Hit England’s World Cup Plans
The preparations of England to the next T20 world cup have been shaken after the Indian authorities refused to issue Visas to some of its most important spinners Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed creating confusion a few weeks before the world cup is to take place.
The two players are no longer likely to accompany the rest of the England squad this weekend on a six match warm-up series against Sri Lanka. Although England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will not doubt that the problem would be solved, it is uncertain when they will arrive and it is difficult to organize England into a high-pressure campaign.
Rashid and Ahmed are both playing abroad, Rashid playing in the SA20 of South Africa and Ahmed in the Big Bash League of Australia. Their uninvolvement in the preliminary preparations may inhibit the tactical preparedness of England especially in sub continental pitches where spin is a determining factor.
The time lag has not been a surprise to the ECB. England touring Pakistani players have also undergone the same visa-related hitches to tour India in recent years, mostly because of the poor diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan. Shoaib Bashir once missed the first Test of the England tour in India because the player was forced to fly back to London to get his visa cleared and Saqib Mahmood has been facing the same problems once.
The ECB officials are quoted saying that Indian officials have guaranteed them that there is no opposition to the visa requests. However, the issue of delays further has caused the board to request the UK government to help it speed up the process.
The post Indian Visa Delays Hit England’s World Cup Plans appeared first on Ten Sports TV.
