England's upcoming white-ball tour of India has hit a snag as a report reveals that pacer Saqib Mahmood, who is a British-Pakistani, has not yet received a visa. 

 

According to the Daily Mail, Saqib Mahmood was supposed to leave for a fast-bowling camp in the UAE last Thursday. However, it is still unclear whether he will be able to join the tour, as his passport is still with the Indian embassy.

 

Saqib has been waiting for a decision for the past few days. It remains uncertain if he will be allowed to travel with the rest of the England squad this Friday.

 

Meanwhile, his teammates Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Mark Wood are currently training in Abu Dhabi with fast-bowling coach James Anderson. Freezing temperatures in the UK have effectively barred Saqib from practicing outdoors.

 

During England's recent white-ball tour of the West Indies in November, Mahmood stood out by taking the most power-play wickets for England in the series, grabbing nine wickets in three matches and earning the Player of the Series award.

 

Despite applying well in advance, the ECB faced difficulties in obtaining a visa for Saqib Mahmood due to his Pakistani heritage. In 2019, he was unable to travel to India as part of the England Lions squad for the same reason.

 

England is scheduled to play a series of five T20s and three ODIs in India, with the first match set for January 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. 

 

Last year, Lancashire had to tour India without Saqib due to similar visa issues. 

 

Another player, Shoaib Bashir, also faced problems in January 2024 because of his Pakistani background, having to return to London during England's Test series against India to get his visa.