England are waiting on visas for Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed ahead of the men’s T20 World Cup, with the delay set to keep both spinners out of the squad’s pre-tournament tour of Sri Lanka.
Sky Sports News reported on Thursday that Rashid and Ahmed have not yet been issued visas to travel to India for the tournament, which begins on February 7. As a result, the pair will not travel with the rest of the England squad to Sri Lanka this weekend for warm-up matches that include three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals.
Both players, who are of Pakistani heritage, are instead expected to travel directly to India in time for England’s opening World Cup fixture against Nepal in Mumbai on February 8, assuming the issue is resolved.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is understood to be working with the Indian government, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the International Cricket Council to expedite the process.
Visa delays for players of Pakistani heritage travelling to India have occurred previously. Shoaib Bashir missed England’s first Test against India two years ago due to similar issues, while Saqib Mahmood has also experienced delays in the past.
It is understood there is no objection in principle from the Indian government to issuing the visas, and the ECB remains confident both Rashid and Ahmed will be able to travel in time for the start of the tournament.
The delay could, however, affect England’s preparation in Sri Lanka. White-ball captain Harry Brook will have limited specialist spin options for the series, with Liam Dawson the only other frontline spinner in the squad. Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell may be required to bowl more overs than anticipated if Rashid and Ahmed are unavailable.
England’s Sri Lanka tour begins with the first ODI in Colombo on January 22, with the final T20 scheduled for February 3. The World Cup runs from February 7 to March 8, with matches staged across India and Sri Lanka and all games live on Sky Sports.
