Former India fast bowler and coach Venkatesh Prasad has hit out at the ECB over the Shoaib Bashir visa issue.

Uncapped England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has not been able to enter India in time for the first Test of the five-match series due to his visa getting delayed. There have been claims that the issue might be because of Bashir’s Pakistani descent, due to the occurrence of several similar incidents in the recent past.

Many called England to refuse to play the series until Bashir’s visa troubles got sorted. Captain Ben Stokes said before the start of the first Test in Hyderabad that they had briefly considered not flying to India until Bashir got his visa.

“When I first found the news out in Abu Dhabi, I did say we shouldn’t fly until Bash gets his visa,” Stokes said. “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.”

Venkatesh Prasad, however, had a different take. There have also been reports that Bashir needed to get his visa stamped in the UK, but he was already in the UAE before that. Some, including Prasad, feel that the ECB are at fault.

“His visa needed to be stamped in the UK. The ECB sent Shoaib Bashir to the UAE, thinking it would be stamped in a third country,” Prasad wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Not following basic procedures , assuming things and then crying foul is an old English way. If anyone, it is the ECB at fault.”

His visa needed to be stamped in the UK. The ECB sent Shoaib Bashir to the UAE, thinking it would be stamped in a third country.
Not following basic procedures , assuming things and then crying foul is an old English way.
If anyone, it is the ECB at fault. https://t.co/Fw8tG0XsD8

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) January 24, 2024

Former India opener Aakash Chopra echoed similar sentiments on social media: “English cricket has a habit of invoking the ‘spirit’ whenever they are on the wrong side of the law,” he wrote on X.

English cricket has a habit of invoking the ‘spirit’ whenever they are on the wrong side of the law.

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 24, 2024

Bashir had to head back to the UK to sort out the issues which eventually got resolved today (January 25). He is now expected to be in India within the next few days.

England have named their XI for the first Test, including three spinners, all of whom turn the ball away from right-hand batters. Had Bashir been available, there’s a good chance he could have had a Test debut in the first match of the series which starts in Hyderabad tomorrow (January 25).

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