New Delhi: Saqib Mahmood, fast bowler from England with a Pakistani heritage, will miss his team’s pre-series training camp in Abu Dhabi due to a delay in receiving his India visa for the white-ball tour beginning January 22, according to a report in ESPNcricinfo.
The report revealed that Mahmood hasn’t recieved his Indian visa yet which has forced him to sit out of the training camp in Abu Dhabi. According to the information, Mahmood’s passport is with the concerned authorities as part of the visa process.
Visa delay forces Mahmood to miss training camp
Mahmood is expected to receive his visa before the first batch of English cricketers leaves for Kolkata on Friday.
Mahmood is not the first Pakistani-origin cricketer to face delays in securing an Indian visa. Last year, English spinner Shoaib Bashir, also of Pakistani heritage, missed the first Test in Hyderabad due to a visa delay.
Australian opener Usman Khawaja also faced a similar problem during his team’s tour of 2023.
Surprisingly, two other England players of Pakistani heritage in the squad, Rehan Ahmed and Adil Rashid, have received their visas. Mahmood has played two Tests, 9 ODIs and 18 T20s for England.
England’s limited-overs tour of India starts with a T20I in Kolkata on January 22. The five-match series will be followed by a three-match ODI rubber which will be India’s last white-ball assignment before the ICC Champions Trophy.
India recently announced the T20I squad for the England series and picked Mohammed Shami, who was recalled to the Indian team after 14 months. The quartet of Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy were also included in the T20I squad led by Suryakumar Yadav.
India’s schedule for T20I series vs England
| S. No. | Day | Date | Time | Match | Venue |
| 1 | Wednesday | 22-Jan-25 | 7:00 PM | 1st T20I | Kolkata |
| 2 | Saturday | 25-Jan-25 | 7:00 PM | 2nd T20I | Chennai |
| 3 | Tuesday | 28-Jan-25 | 7:00 PM | 3rd T20I | Rajkot |
| 4 | Friday | 31-Jan-25 | 7:00 PM | 4th T20I | Pune |
| 5 | Sunday | 02-Feb-25 | 7:00 PM | 5th T20I | Mumbai |
India vs England: Saqib Mahmood is not the first Pakistani-origin cricketer to face delays in securing an Indian visa. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
