Prasad schools England over Bashir visa fiasco

NEW DELHI: Former India medium pace bowler Venkatesh Prasad schooled the England and Wales Cricket Board after English media and the ECB played a blame game regarding the visa refusal of the rookie off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.
The 20-year-old Bashir, who plays for Somerset in the English county, was forced to head back to England from the team’s Abu Dhabi training base after a prolonged wait for a visa.
Prasad pointed out that ECB was at fault for the entire episode, emphasising that they failed to adhere to basic procedures.
“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,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Later in the day, Bashir was granted a visa to play in the five-match Test series against India, bringing an end to the “frustrating” wait for the visiting team. The delay in the process left captain Ben Stokes feeling “devastated.”
“Shoaib Bashir has now received his visa, and is due to travel to join up with the team in India this weekend. We’re glad the situation has now been resolved,” the ECB posted on its X handle.
Bashir, who is a shock inclusion in the squad with a mediocre 10 wickets from just six first-class games, was never in contention for a place in the squad for the opening Test.