London/Hyderabad, Jan 24 (PTI) England’s Pakistan-origin off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was on Wednesday granted visa to play in the five-match Test series against India, ending a “frustrating” wait for the visiting side whose captain Ben Stokes felt “devastated” by the delay.
“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 England and Wales Cricket Board posted on its X (formerly Twitter) page on the eve of the first Test here.
The 20-year-old rookie, 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 visa. His family is of Pakistani heritage but Bashir was born in Surrey.
The delay snowballed into a major controversy with a British government spokesperson demanding “fair” treatment for the youngster and Stokes hardly mincing words in expressing his outrage.
Bashir, who…