"If anyone, it is the ECB at fault" - Venkatesh Prasad comments on Shoaib Bashir's visa issue
Former Indian fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad has opined that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is at fault for the Shoaib Bashir visa fiasco. He slammed the English media on X after a journalist stated that the visitors should refuse to play the first Test due to the visa problem.
Shoaib Bashir is a Pakistan-origin spinner, who earned a place in England's Test squad for the first time for the upcoming series against India. The England squad had a pre-series camp in Abu Dhabi, which Bashir attended. While the rest of the squad reached Hyderabad a few days ago, Bashir could not travel due to visa issues.
As per reports, the ECB expected the BCCI to help them resolve the issues, but eventually, the spinner had to return to London. A popular English media publication suggested Ben Stokes and co. to refuse to take the field in Hyderabad tomorrow (January 25) for the first Test.
Reacting to the tweet, Venkatesh Prasad wrote:
"His visa needed to be stamped in the UK. The ECB sent Shoaib Bashir to the UAE, thinking it would be stamped in a third country. Not following basic procedures , assuming things and then crying foul is an old English way. If anyone, it is the ECB at fault."
The majority of fans on the social media platform agreed with Prasad. His tweet has received more than 12,000 likes in just a few hours.
Shoaib Bashir receives visa, set to travel to India over the weekend
The England and Wales Cricket Board has tweeted that Bashir has now received his visa and is set to join the rest of the squad over the weekend. Bashir will not play in the first Test, but he will be available for the selection for the other four Tests of the series.
"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," the England Cricket handle wrote.
It will be interesting to see how the uncapped talent performs on his first tour. The conditions in India may help the young spinner.