The England cricket team might need to find a replacement for Saqib Mahmood ahead of the India vs. England series. The right-arm pacer was selected for the 15-man squad for both formats (ODIs and T20Is) and is also participating in the ICC Champions Trophy. However, there is a major possibility that Saqib won’t feature in any of the eight matches in India. That’s because he’s yet to be granted his visa for the tour, according to the Daily Mail.
England’s Pakistan-origin players issue to getting visa for India
Of Pakistani descent, Saqib has been denied a visa to travel to India twice before. The most recent was in 2024 when Lancashire Cricket Club travelled to Bengaluru for pre-season practice, but Saqib couldn’t. He was also denied a visa in 2019 when he was part of the England Lions.
Saqib Mahmood isn’t the first or last player of Pakistani origin who has been denied a visa for touring India. Last year, Shoaib Bashir missed one game after the delayed arrival of his visa. Rehan Ahmed got his but was held in Rajkot because he only had a single-entry visa.
Saqib was originally meant to travel to the UAE to prepare for not just the India vs. England series but also the ICC Champions Trophy. Other pacers in the squad, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Mark Wood, are already training in Abu Dhabi with James Anderson, England’s new fast-bowling coach. However, he hasn’t been flown to the UAE, as there is uncertainty over his participation in the India tour.
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England Squad for India Tour
ODI: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood
T20I: Jos Buttler (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood