England’s preparations for next month’s T20 World Cup have cleared a late-in-the-day hurdle after leg-spinners Rehan Ahmed and Adil Rashid were finally issued Indian visas. The pair, both with family roots in Pakistan, had been waiting several days longer than their team-mates, prompting quiet concern at the ECB and some exasperated text messages from within the squad.
Their paperwork landed on Tuesday morning and, according to tournament organisers, the rest of the outstanding applications involving players or staff of Pakistani heritage are “on track”. The International Cricket Council says it is working with Indian high commissions worldwide and expects every remaining visa to be rubber-stamped by 31 January, the official start of the tournament support period. The World Cup itself begins on 7 February.
Delays of this sort are not new. England’s tour of India three winters ago featured similar last-minute clearances, and Australia have encountered hold-ups, too. Last week USA seamer Ali Khan posted on Instagram that he had been refused entry, a claim that briefly lit up social media before the ICC stepped in. Officials insist his case, and others like it, is moving forward.
In total 42 applications still require final approval. They cover squad members from Canada, Netherlands, UAE, England, Italy and the USA, plus coaches such as Bangladesh’s spin consultant Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan leg-spinner. Visas for Canadian and Dutch parties are already understood to be in hand, with appointments for the rest scheduled early next week.
A senior ICC source struck a calm note. “We’re confident everyone who needs a visa will have one in good time,” they said, pointing out that most players enter India on sporting visas rather than the more complex journalist or work categories.
From England’s perspective the situation was becoming slightly awkward. Rashid is Eoin Morgan’s first-choice wrist-spinner and remains a key figure in the dressing-room, while the 19-year-old Ahmed is seen as an important understudy. Both can now focus on cricket rather than consular paperwork.
Political tensions between India and Pakistan inevitably loom in the background, but administrators on both sides are keen to keep cricket moving. For now, at least, the road to the World Cup looks clear.
