England have had a setback in their preparations for the T20 World Cup next month with the Indian government yet to issue visas to the spinners Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed. The delay means that both players, who have Pakistani heritage, are unlikely to travel with the rest of the squad this weekend for six warm-up matches against Sri Lanka, and it is unclear when they will join their teammates.
The visa delays have not come as a surprise to the England and Wales Cricket Board, which has become accustomed to the Indian government’s bureaucratic approach in recent years due to their worsening diplomatic and political relations with Pakistan.
Shoaib Bashir missed the first Test of England’s series in India two years ago, as he had to fly back to London to complete the visa application process, while Saqib Mahmood has had issues in the past.
The ECB is understood to have received assurances from the Indian government that it has no objection to both players’ applications, but the timing is uncertain and it has engaged help from the UK government in an attempt to expedite the process. Rashid is in South Africa playing in the SA20 T20 competition, while Ahmed is in Australia for the Big Bash, and it is hoped they will be able to fly from there straight to Sri Lanka or India.
The ECB is confident that the visas will be issued in time for Rashid and Ahmed to play in the World Cup, with England’s campaign beginning against Nepal in Mumbai on 8 February, but their preparation has been affected before a tournament they will start under considerable pressure after their 4-1 Ashes defeat.
Brendon McCullum, the head coach, will want to reach the semi-finals at least to ease fears over his own position after England crashed out of the Champions Trophy without winning a game last year in his only previous tournament in charge of the white-ball team; the captain, Harry Brook, will face intense scrutiny following the revelation last week that he was fined £30,000 by the ECB for a nightclub altercation with a bouncer the night before a one-day international in New Zealand in October.
While finishing in the top two in a group completed by West Indies, Bangladesh and Italy should not be beyond England, the Super Eight stage will be far more competitive.
England play three one-day internationals and three T20s in Sri Lanka beginning on 22 January, and Brook may have limited spin options at his disposal. Liam Dawson is the only other specialist spinner in the squad, and Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell may be required to do more bowling than expected if the absent duo do not arrive in time to play in the matches.
In another political complication, the venue for England’s group game against Bangladesh is uncertain after their opponents requested that the International Cricket Council move its matches to a neutral venue due to security concerns amid tensions with India.
Pakistan’s games have already been moved to Sri Lanka but the Board of Control for Cricket in India is understood to be lobbying the ICC to oppose another scheduling switch.
