England’s 20-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who also plays for Somerset County Cricket Club, is in the news for being denied a visa ahead of the Test series between India and England.
A British Muslim of Pakistani descent, Shoaib Bashir faced visa issues after a training camp in Abu Dhabi and had to remain in the Emirate, despite his teammates proceeding to Hyderabad for the first Test against India on Thursday. He later returned to England to seek the necessary approval from the Indian embassy.
Irked with this row, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government expects British citizens to be treated fairly by India’s visa processes.
ALSO READ: India Vs England: ‘I feel for him honestly’, says Rohit Sharma on Shoaib Bashir’s visa row
“I can’t speak to the specifics of this case. But more broadly we have previously raised issues of this kind with the High Commission. We have been clear that we expect India to treat British citizens fairly at all times in its visa processes. We have previously raised the issues British citizens with Pakistani heritage have experienced. We’ve raised the issues about their experience of applying for visas with the Indian High Commissioner in London,” the spokesperson said, as quoted by the BBC.
The current row has also frustrated the England camp, with England captain Ben Stokes saying, as quoted by AP, “I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team. Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him.”
“As captain, I find it particularly frustrating. We announced the squad in mid-December, and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here. 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. It’s a frustrating situation to be in, but a lot of people have been trying to get it through.”
Who is Shoaib Bashir?
Born on October 13, 2003, at Surrey’s Chertsey, Bashir is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler.
He made his first-class debut for Somerset against Essex on June 11, 2023, and his T20 debut for Somerset against Hampshire on June 7, 2023.
Bashir played club cricket for Guildford before signing with Somerset in 2022. After an impressive performance in Somerset Second-XI fixtures, where he took 9 wickets at an average of just 14.11 – with a best of 5 for 44 against Warwickshire Second XI – Bashir was given a contract for the 2023 season by Somerset.
He was called up to the England Lions cricket team for the first time in October 2023. He took six wickets for 42 runs in 15 overs across both innings, while playing against Afghanistan B.
Bashir received his maiden call-up to the senior England side on December 11, 2023, and was included in the 16-man squad for the Test tour of India.
With agency inputs.
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Published: 24 Jan 2024, 05:13 PM IST
