After Shoaib Bashir was forced to fly home from his India tour due to visa issues, Ben Stokes 'devastated'
Somerset off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who had signed a maiden professional contract only in 2023, was one of England’s wildcard picks for the 2023/24 five-match Test series in India.
From six first-class matches, the six-foot-four Bashir had picked 10 wickets at 67 apiece, but he picked six wickets against Afghanistan A in a match that did not get first-class status.
The England squad trained in Abu Dhabi and arrived in India on January 21 for a Test series scheduled to commence on January 25. The touring party did not include Bashir, whose visa had not been processed.
Born in Chertsey, Surrey, Bashir has a British passport. He was expected to reach Hyderabad by January 23 if the visa went through, but eventually had to fly back home for lack of a visa.
At the pre-match press conference, Ben Stokes said, “As captain, I find it particularly frustrating. We announced that squad in mid-December, and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here.”
“I am more frustrated for him. I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be on the England Test team. I feel for him.
He added, “But he’s not the first cricketer to go through this; I have played with a lot of people who have had the same issues. I find it frustrating that we have picked a player and he’s not with us because of visa issues.”