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Shoaib Bashir was left stuck in the UAE due to visa
complications, thus England started their Test preparations in Hyderabad
without him.
After training in Abu Dhabi, England arrived in India
on Sunday ahead of Thursday’s first Test. Bashir is still there because he was
unable to travel with the rest of the group due to a delay in his paperwork.
Stuart Hooper, the new managing director of cricket operations at the ECB, is
accompanying the off-spinner from Somerset. Both of his parents are of
Pakistani descent.
The head coach of England, Brendon McCullum, stated
that the ECB has escalated the situation with the appropriate authorities,
which includes the Indian government, and that they anticipate hearing good
news within the next 24 hours. England anticipates welcoming Dan Lawrence on
Monday night and are hopeful for a speedy settlement.
Harry Brook was called back to his family after an
emergency, and Lawrence was called up to the 16-man roster. While Lawrence
stayed in the United Arab Emirates to play for Desert Vipers in the ILT20,
which they lost against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Brook returned to the United
Kingdom on Sunday.
England will train at the Rajiv Gandhi International
Stadium on Tuesday morning, so Bashir will likely miss two days of preparation.
However, McCullum reiterated that Bashir will still be ready for selection for
the first Test. Despite having taken just 10 first-class wickets at 67,
20-year-old Bashir was a bolter for the team, chosen more for his potential
than for his skill.
“Bash will join us hopefully tomorrow as
well,” McCullum said. “He’s got a couple of issues with his visa
coming through. We’re confident on the back of the help from the BCCI and the
Indian government that will sort itself out pretty quickly as well.
“Things take time, don’t they? Everyone is doing
what they can. It’s a process we need to go through. We’re pretty confident
that we’re close. The time that Bash had with the squad over in Abu Dhabi,
where he fitted in seamlessly, will serve him greatly.
“We’ve also got a little bit of support out there
for him so he’s not on his own. We’re hoping the news will come through today
that his visa has been approved, then we’ll get him to sink his teeth into this
series.”