
England fast bowler Saqib Mahmood has faced a delay in securing his visa and has been forced to miss an England training camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of their white-ball series against India later in January.
Saqib was set to join fellow pacers Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Mark Wood for a training camp in Abu Dhabi but had surrendered his passport as part of the visa process and could not travel to Abu Dhabi. The pace-bowling camp is being overlooked by James Anderson, the bowling consultant.
The delay is not new for England players of Pakistani heritage. Last year, when England travelled to India for a five-match Test series, spinner Shoaib Bashir also faced a delay in getting his visa and had to miss the opening Test match in Hyderabad.
Notably, Saqib had faced a delay in his visa process six years ago when he had to travel with the England Lions squad for an India tour. He was eventually replaced.
However, the England Cricket Board is optimistic about Saqib getting his visa and being on England's flight to India when they travel to Kolkata on Friday. As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, two other Pakistan heritage players, Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed, are understood to have received their visas.
England are set to face India in a white-ball series featuring five T20Is and three ODIs. Saqib has been named in both the squads alongside England's squad for the Champions Trophy 2025.
The T20I series will begin on January 22 in Kolkata, followed by three more games in the same month on January 25 (in Chennai), 28 (in Rajkot) and 31 (in Pune). The final T20I will take place on February 2 in Mumbai. The ODI series acts as the dress rehearsal for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
The ODI series will kick off on February 6 in Nagpur, followed by the next two matches on February 9 and 12 in Cuttack and Ahmedabad, respectively.