England fast bowler Saqib Mahmood has finally secured a visa ahead of the team’s white-ball tour of India. Mahmoud also missed a training camp in the UAE due to recent delays in the visa process.

However, he will now travel with England to Kolkata for the first T20I of the series. The first match of the T20I series will be played on January 22 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. England will play a five-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series before traveling to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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Saqib Mahmood finally gets visa

Saqib Mahmood is of Pakistani origin, which was the main reason why his visa process was delayed. This has happened before to cricketers of Pakistani origin such as Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed.

However, Rashid and Rehan have received their visas. Both players are part of the England squad for the T20I series and come from the same origin. Mahmoud was the only player to receive a visa.

Saqib Mahmood faced similar issues in 2019 and was later replaced during the Lions’ tour of India after a lengthy visa process. He also missed India’s pre-season tour of Lancashire in anticipation of similar issues.

Saqib Mahmood misses England training camp

Ahead of the India tour, Mahmood will attend a fast bowling camp in Abu Dhabi to adapt to the Indian conditions. The camp is led by former England fast bowler James Anderson, who is also the team’s fast bowling consultant.

The camp features England’s top fast bowlers such as Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood Mark Wood). However, Mahmood could not travel with the team as his passport was still at the Indian Embassy.

Saqib Mahmood recently overcame consecutive lower back stress fractures to mark his return to the national team in 2024. Last year, he participated in the T20I series against West Indies and took 9 wickets in just 4 games with an average of 10.55 and an economy of 6.33.

The 27-year-old right-arm fastman has played 2 Tests, 9 ODIs and 18 T20Is. He has also been named in the England squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. He has a good ODI record, taking 14 wickets in 9 ODIs at an average of 26.85.

Shoaib Bashir faced the same problem

Offspinner Shoaib Bashir is the latest cricketer to face this issue as he missed the first Test of England’s India tour in Hyderabad in early 2024. However, England won the match thanks to a superb spin bowling performance by Tom Hartley.

Bashir returned in time for the second Test of the series and played three Tests. But the Indian team fought back strongly to seal the series 4-1. Bashir made his debut in the series and took 17 wickets in three Tests.