Image Credit- PA Images
During their trip in India, England faced additional
visa issues when Rehan Ahmed was denied entry from Hirasar airport in Rajkot
due to missing documentation.
Because Rehan only possessed a single-entry visa,
Sportstar revealed on Monday that he was not allowed to re-enter India
following England’s mid-series break in Abu Dhabi. After some delay, local
authorities managed to resolve the legspinner issue temporarily. England
anticipates resolving the issue completely within the following 24 hours. By
Monday night, every member of the travelling squad and support staff had
arrived at the team hotel in Rajkot.
“We were advised, on returning to India, that
there was paperwork discrepancy with Rehan Ahmed’s visa,” the ECB said via
a statement on Tuesday morning. “The local authorities at Rajkot Airport
were supportive, enabling Rehan entry on a temporary visa. The correct visa
should be processed and issued in the coming days. He will continue to prepare
with the rest of the squad ahead of the third Test.”
The problem arose weeks after Shoaib Bashir’s visa was
issued late, delaying his arrival in India and preventing him from attending
the first Test in Hyderabad. After initially staying in Abu Dhabi, where
England conducted their pre-tour training camp, Bashir, who is of Pakistani
descent, eventually arrived on January 28, the fourth day of the first Test.
However, he had to travel back to the UK to have his visa stamped. Later, at
Visakhapatnam, he made his debut in the second Test.
Similar to Bashir, Rehan is of Pakistani descent and
was born in England. However, he entered the nation without any issues at first
thanks to a visa he obtained in October while serving as a backup for England’s
50-over World Cup team.
“The England team has been advised to process the
visa again which will be happening in the next two days,” a BCCI official
was quoted as saying in the Hindustan Times. “The player was allowed to
enter the country with the rest of the team and he will be appearing in
practice on Tuesday.”