England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir can heave a sigh of relief as he finally got his visa to travel to India on Wednesday, after days of delay.
The uncapped English cricketer of Pakistani heritage had to return home from Abu Dhabi where he was stuck due to the issues with his paperwork.
Bashir came back to the UK to sort out his visa application and as a result, will miss the first Test against India in Hyderabad starting January 25. He will join the Test squad by this weekend, England Cricket confirmed on social media.
"Shoaib Bashir has now received his visa, and is due to travel to join up with the team in India this weekend.
"We're glad the situation has now been resolved," England Cricket tweeted on X.
UK PMO intervenes in Bashir row
Bashir was stuck in the UAE for several days after which he decided to return home to resolve the issue. He was part of the England Test squad which had set up a camp in Abu Dhabi to train for the five Tests in India.
England captain Ben Stokes had earlier, expressed his frustration at the controversy and revealed that he was even thinking about not travelling to India in support of Bashir.
The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office also reacted on the issue and spoke to the Indian High Commission in London to clear Bashir's visa.
Born in Surrey and possessing a British passport, Bashir faced well-known challenges entering India due to the historical tensions between the neighboring countries, stemming from his Pakistani heritage.
