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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Opposition raking up Dalit CM issue to divert attention: Karnataka Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday accused the opposition of "unnecessarily stoking" the debate over a Dalit Chief Minister to deflect attention from governance.
He asserted that only the Congress has the commitment to elevate a Dalit leader to the top post.
Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said the ongoing discussion on a Dalit Chief Minister was being amplified by opposition parties.
“This is the work of the opposition. To hide their own failures, they are raising the issue of the Chief Minister. Isn’t the administration running smoothly? Isn’t the Chief Minister governing?” he asked.
The Minister noted that for the past 10–12 days, detailed budget discussions had been held across departments and governance was progressing normally.
Parameshwara, who is a Dalit, said the Congress alone had the history and political will to make a Dalit Chief Minister.
“Yes, it must be the Congress party. Who else will do it?” he said, while clarifying that the timing of any such decision would be determined by the party high command.
On Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s media statement targeting the JD(S) and invoking social justice, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah had earlier been part of the JD(S) and even served as its president before being expelled.
He noted that the internal history of that party was best known to those within it and declined to comment on specific internal matters.
Defending the Chief Minister’s ideological position, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah’s politics had always been rooted in social justice and that there was nothing new or opportunistic about his stance.
The Chief Minister, he said, had consistently built his political career on that foundation.
