IND vs ENG: Saqib Mahmood finally gets VISA for India Tour after Delay

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England fast bowler Saqib Mahmood has finally received his visa for the team's upcoming white-ball tour of India, which begins with the T20I series opener in Kolkata on January 22.

Mahmood, who has Pakistani heritage, had faced a delay in getting his visa, causing him to miss an England training camp in the UAE. The 27-year-old bowler, who plays for Lancashire, will join the England squad in the UAE, where they held a pace-bowling camp with Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Mark Wood, under the guidance of fast-bowling mentor James Anderson, before heading to India.

While Mahmood faced delays, two other players with similar backgrounds, Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed, received their visas earlier. Mahmood has faced similar issues before. In 2019, he had to be replaced in an England Lions squad for the India tour due to a visa delay. He also missed a Lancashire pre-season camp in India last year because of similar visa issues.

Last year, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir had to return to London just before England's five-match Test series against India because of a visa issue, which prevented him from playing in the first match in Hyderabad.

Despite these setbacks, Mahmood has come back strong after dealing with consecutive lower-back stress fractures. He returned to international cricket last year and was named player of the series in England's T20I series in the Caribbean in November, taking nine wickets at an average of 10.55. Since making his debut for England in February 2020, Mahmood has played nine one-day internationals and 18 T20Is, taking 38 wickets in total across formats.