According to a report, the Indian government has yet to grant spinners Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed visas, which has interrupted England’s T20 World Cup preparations.
Due to the delay, both players—who are of Pakistani descent—are unlikely to fly with the rest of the team this weekend for the six white-ball matches (three ODIs and three T20Is) against Sri Lanka, and it is still unknown when they will join their teammates, according to The Guardian.
It is expected that if their visas are approved, Rashid, who is now playing in the SA20, and Ahmed, who is in Australia for the Big Bash League, will be able to travel straight from those locations.
Since Liam Dawson is the team’s lone specialist spinner and Rashid and Ahmed are temporarily missing, Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell might have to bowl more than originally planned.
The first ODI between England and Sri Lanka will take place in Colombo on January 22. It is unclear if both players will be cleared in time for the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 8 in Mumbai against Nepal.
Additionally, it’s unclear if England’s group match against Bangladesh will be held in Kolkata because their opponents have stated they won’t come to India following Mustafizur Rahman’s removal.
While the BCCI expects the original schedule would stay in place, Bangladesh has threatened to withdraw unless their matches are changed to a neutral venue.
Following political tensions between the two nations, the BCCI ordered the Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders to remove fast bowler Mustafizur from their lineup, sparking the conflict with Bangladesh.
