England pacer Saqib Mahmood's India tour preparation hit by visa delay

Saqib Mahmood. Pic/AFP

England pacer of Pakistani heritage, Saqib Mahmood, will miss the team's training camp in Abu Dhabi due to delay in getting his India visa for the limited overs tour beginning January 22, according to a report.

'ESPNcricinfo' reported that Mahmood is yet to receive his Indian visa, preventing him from joining the camp in Abu Dhabi as his passport is with the concerned authorities as part of the visa process.

Also Read: Former Man City captain and coach, Tony Book passes away aged 90

However, he is expected to receive his visa before a batch of cricketers leave for Kolkata on Friday. It is not the first time that cricketers of Pakistani origin have faced delays in securing an Indian visa. England spinner Shoaib Bashir missed the first Test in Hyderabad last year due to a visa delay.

Australian opener Usman Khawaja had also faced similar delays during the tour of 2023. Having said that, other England players of Pakistani heritage in the squad, Rehan Ahmed and Adil Rashid, have received their visas, reported the website. Mahmood has played two Tests, 9 ODIs and 18 T20s for England. England's limited-over tour of India begins with a T20I in Kolkata on Januray 22.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever