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Tag: Shoaib Bashir

  • IND vs ENG: Who Is Shoaib Bashir? British Muslim Cricketer Likely To Make England Debut In 2nd Test Who Faced Visa Issue; Can Cause A Lot Of Trouble To India Batters In Vizag | cricket news

    Shoaib Bashir has not made his international debut yet for England. But the off-spinner was all over the news some ten days ago. It was due to his visa not being granted by Indian authorities due to his Pakistani heritage. Non-Pakistani overseas citizens with Pakistani descent face visa issues in India as heavy paperwork is required to get a clearance.

    Bashir was named in the England Test squad in December but the paperwork took time to get his visa. Without going into further details, his Visa arrived only after the first Test started in Hyderabad. Bashir was there in the England dressing room when the visitors scripted a stunning come-from-behind win over India in the first Test. Bashir was allowed by Ben Stokes to go and relax at the team hotel as he had been through a lot of travelling. But the youngster said that he wanted to be among the teammates.

    Also Read | India Vs England 2nd Test Probable Playing 11s: Will Rohit Sharma Back Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar On A Possible Rank Turner At Vizag?

    Bashir was in UAE with the England squad bound for India for prep camp. While his teammates boarded the plane to India, he had to wait for his delayed visa. Upon hearing that it would require more paperwork in UK, Bashir traveled back to his home country and got it done. Then took another flight to reach India and went straightaway to Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad to sit in the England change room.

    Barely six first-class matches old, Bashir was hand-picked by captain Ben Stokes after he watched a clip of his bowling on X (formerly Twitter).

    “To be perfectly honest, Abu Dhabi was the first real live look I got at Bash,” Stokes said. “The first time I saw him was on Twitter. I think the County Championship (account) put a little clip together of him bowling against Sir Alastair.

    “I’m in a WhatsApp group with Keysy and Baz. I actually did forward the clip on and said, ‘have a look at this, this could be something we could work with on our India tour’ and it just progressed from there. He got selected on the Lions tour and obviously the coaches on that tour fed back everything to us,” Stokes told media ahead of the 2nd Test.

    Bashir just 10 wickets in these six appearances for Somerset. His ability to land the ball in right areas and his height could be one of the reasons why Stokes was interested in Bashir.

    The 20-year-old is finally here in India and with Jack Leach injured and Brendon McCullum daring to play an all-spin attack at Vizag, it looks very likely that Bashir will be making his Test debut for England.

    Bashir was born on October 13, 2003 in Surrey. He bats right-handed and is a right-arm off break bowler. He made his first-class debut for Somerset against Essex on June 11, 2023, and his T20 debut for Somerset against Hampshire on June 7, 2023.

    He had started his club cricket career at Guldford. In 2022, he signed up with Somerset. His impressive show in Somerset-XI matches wherein he picked 9 wickets, Bashir was offered a contract by the County side in 2023. It was here that Stokes saw him and very quickly, Bashir was playing for England Lions in October 2023. For Lions, he picked 6 wickets for 42 runs in 15 overs across two innings vs Afghanistan B. With good feedback from Lions coaches, Bashir was named in the England Test squad for the India Tests.

  • India Vs England 1st Test: Pakistan-Origin English Off-Spinner Shoaib Bashir’s Visa Cleared, He Is Set To Land In India In 2-3 Days | cricket news

    The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday confirmed that uncapped off-spinner Shoaib Bashir received his visa to tour India for the five-match Test series and is set to join the English squad soon. However, owing to the delay in sorting out his visa issues, the 16-year-old promising spinner is all but certain to sit the opening Test in Hyderabad on Thursday.

    The ECB released a statement on Wednesday, confirming that Bashir’s visa issues were sorted and he will link up with the team in India later in the week.

    “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,” a statement from ECB read.

    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.#INDvENG | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/vTHdChIOIi— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 24, 2024

    However, earlier in the day, England Test captain Ben Stokes revealed that he had proposed that the national team should not fly to India as long as the visa-related issues of uncapped spinner Shoaib Bashir are resolved, adding, however, that the idea wasn ‘t carried forward.

    Bashir, a rising spinner of Pakistani origin, was initially part of England’s 16-man red-ball squad for the five-match series versus India. However, he had to fly back to London owing to issues surrounding his visa clearance.

    Bashir’s situation came to light during England’s preparatory camp in Abu Dhabi. The Somerset off-spinner didn’t receive his visa, rendering him incapable of traveling with the rest of the squad.

    “When I first found the news out in Abu Dhabi, I did say we shouldn’t fly until Bash gets his visa. But that was a little bit tongue-in-cheek. I know it’s a way bigger thing than doing that. That was probably just emotions around the whole thing. I’m pretty devastated that Bash has had to go through this,” Stokes said.

    “As a leader, as a captain, when one of your teammates is affected by something like that, you get a bit emotional. I know he’s back in London and a lot of people are jumping through hoops to try and get through this quicker. Hopefully, we’re gonna see him here over the weekend. There was never a [realistic] chance that we were ever not going to travel around this but Bash knows he’s had our full support,” the ace all-rounder added.

    Coming in support of the uncapped English spinner during a pre-match press conference on Wednesday, India skipper Rohit Sharma said, “I feel for him, honestly. Unfortunately, I don’t sit in the visa office to give you more details on that. , but hopefully, he can make it quickly, enjoy our country and play some cricket as well.”

    As the visa-related issues of the uncapped Englishman unfolded, a spokesperson for the British government said that India should treat British citizens fairly.

    “The specifics of this case are a matter for Shoaib Bashir and the Indian Government. But we absolutely expect India to treat British citizens fairly at all times in its visa process. We have previously raised the issues British citizens with Pakistani heritage experience applying for visas with the Indian High Commission in London,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

    Stokes, earlier, said he was hopeful that Bashir would eventually be cleared to join the red-ball squad.

    “Hopefully, we are going to see him back in India over the weekend. My feelings towards it haven’t changed. It’s obviously a frustrating situation – more importantly, for him. We announced our squad mid-December. It’s now January 24 and he still doesn’t have the visa,” Stokes said.