Mumbai, Jan 14: Four Pakistani-origin cricketers, who were picked to be part of the United States team, have been denied visas to visit India, which now threatens their participation in next month’s Twenty20 World Cup, a news report claimed on Tuesday.One of the players told Telecom Asia Sport that he, along with three others, has been denied visas to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
“Yes, it is true that three Pakistani-origin players are denied an Indian visa, which means we are unable to feature in the Twenty20 World Cup,“ pacer Ali Khan told (www.telecomasia.net) in a video message.The other three players named in the 20-man USA squad for the T20 World Cup are Shayan Jahangir, Mohammad Mohsin, and Ehsan Adil, the report claimed.
According to the report, all three were born in Pakistan but are now US citizens. Under India’s visa rules, all Pakistan-born people have to apply for a visa using their passport from their country of birth.The issue means eight countries will be affected by this problem, besides the USA, players from the UAE, Oman, Nepal, Canada, England, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands have players of Pakistani origin.Adil was born in Sheikhupura and played three Tests and six ODIs for Pakistan between 2013 and 2015. He migrated to the USA four years ago and plays for Kingsmen USA. Khan was born in Attock in Punjab, Shayan in Karachi, and Mohsin in Mingora in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The report also claimed that the issue has haunted Pakistani-origin players in the past, too, with Zulfiqar brothers — Sikander and Saqib — denied a visa in 2019, while another player, Shiraz Ahmed’s visa delayed for the 2023 World Cup.
Australia’s opener Usman Khawaja (2017) and England spinners — Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Basheer (2024) — have also faced visa problems in the past.
Sources in the International Cricket Council have said they are helping teams in acquiring visas, but the latest issue has increased their workload.