England pacer Saqib Mahmood's India tour preparation hit by visa delay
London, Jan 14: England pacer of Pakistani heritage, Saqib Mahmood, will miss the team's training camp in Abu Dhabi due to delay in getting his India visa for the limited overs tour beginning January 22, according to a report.
'ESPNcricinfo' reported that Mahmood is yet to receive his Indian visa, preventing him from joining the camp in Abu Dhabi as his passport is with the concerned authorities as part of the visa process.
However, he is expected to receive his visa before a batch of cricketers leave for Kolkata on Friday.
It is not the first time that cricketers of Pakistani origin have faced delays in securing an Indian visa. England spinner Shoaib Bashir missed the first Test in Hyderabad last year due to a visa delay.
Australian opener Usman Khawaja had also faced similar delays during the tour of 2023.
Having said that, other England players of Pakistani heritage in the squad, Rehan Ahmed and Adil Rashid, have received their visas, reported the website.
Mahmood has played two Tests, 9 ODIs and 18 T20s for England.
England's limited-over tour of India begins with a T20I in Kolkata on Januray 22.
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3-year-old girl raped, killed in Gurugram; accused neighbour arrested
Gurugram (PTI): A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped and strangled to death in Sector 37 by her neighbour, who lured the toddler away from her home at a village located nearby, officials said on Friday.
Police have arrested the accused, who confessed to the crime during interrogation, they said.
On Thursday night, police received a complaint that a minor girl was missing in Mohammadpur Jharsa village, with the family alleging that a man living in the neighbourhood lured her away.
Police arrested the accused, a native of Bihar who worked as a scrap collector in Gurugram, within an hour of filing an FIR at the Sector 37 police station, the officials said.
“During interrogation, the accused disclosed that late on Thursday evening, he lured the minor girl to a secluded place in Sector 37, where he first raped the toddler and then strangled her to death to wipe out evidence. Further questioning is underway,” a spokesperson for Gurugram police said.
