Ben Stokes was “frustrated” and “devastated” after visa issues have forced Shoaib Bashir to miss the first Test of the five-match series in India.
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Twenty-year-old Somerset off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who had signed a maiden professional contract only in 2023, was one of England’s wildcard picks for the 2023/24 five-match Test series in India.
19-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, bowling his first over on County Championship debut, beats the bat of Alastair Cook twice 👀
Have Somerset found another one? #CountyCricket2023 pic.twitter.com/C9PzeexE6Q
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) June 11, 2023
From six first-class matches, the six-foot-four Bashir had picked 10 wickets at 67 apiece, but he picked six wickets against Afghanistan A in a match that did not get first-class status.
The England squad trained in Abu Dhabi, and arrived in India on January 21 for a Test series scheduled to commence on January 25. The touring party did not include Bashir, whose visa had not been processed.
Born in Chertsey, Surrey, Bashir has a British passport. He was expected to reach Hyderabad by January 23 if the visa went through, but eventually had to fly back home for lack of a visa.
“As captain, I find it particularly frustrating,” said Ben Stokes at the pre-match press conference. “We announced that squad in mid-December, and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here.
“I am more frustrated for him. I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team. I feel for him.
“But he’s not the first cricketer to go through this, I have played with a lot of people who have had the same issues. I find it frustrating that we have picked a player and he’s not with us because of visa issues.
“Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him. It’s a frustrating situation to be in, but a lot of people have been trying to get it through. It’s unfortunate and I’m very frustrated for him.”
“We didn’t come here with preconceived ideas about what we will do with the first team. In India, you do like to have a good look at the pitch to see how it might play. With Bash unfortunately not able to be here, it rules him out of this game.”
England’s other spinners are Jack Leach, Bashir’s senior at Somerset; Leicestershire leg-spin-bowling all-rounder Rehan Ahmed, who played a Test match in Pakistan; uncapped Lancashire left-arm spinner Tom Hartley; and Joe Root, whose off-breaks fetched him 5-8 on England’s last tour of India.
