Shoaib Bashir granted visa, set to join England team by Saturday

HYDERABAD: England spinner Shoaib Bashir has been granted an Indian visa, potentially rejoining the England Test squad in India by Saturday. The 20-year-old, of Pakistani heritage, was initially left in Abu Dhabi when the England team traveled to Hyderabad from their training camp on Sunday.

The saga took an unexpected turn as Bashir returned to the UK on Tuesday, and the confirmation of his Indian visa was announced on Wednesday. The off-spinner, representing Somerset, is set to miss the first Test scheduled to begin on Thursday but could reunite with the squad shortly.

The situation had prompted concerns, with parallels drawn to instances involving cricketers of Pakistani origin facing delays in obtaining Indian visas. Notably, Australian opener Usman Khawaja had experienced similar challenges.

The England and Wales Cricket Board expressed relief at the resolution, stating, "We're glad the situation has now been resolved. Shoaib Bashir has now received his visa, and is due to travel to join up with the team in India this weekend."

England named four spinners in their side after Bashir got left out. Tom Hartley is set to debut, who played two ODIs last year, set to share spin-bowling duties alongside fellow left-arm spinner Jack Leach, leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed and part-time off-spin of Joe Root.

England captain Ben Stokes, addressing the matter earlier in the day, emphasized that there was never a consideration of boycotting the opening Test in support of Bashir.

The uncapped spinner, who had only played six first-class matches before being called up for this tour, had become a surprise addition to the England squad.