England remain hopeful that Saqib Mahmood will be available for their white-ball tour of India on time after a visa delay forced him to miss the pre-series tour to Abu Dhabi.
Mahmood is yet to get the required approval from the Indian authorities, which means he will not be able to join fellow seamers Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse in the bowling camp led by James Anderson.
He becomes the latest player of Pakistani origin to face such a hindrance, with England spinner Shoaib Bashir ruled out of Test matches due to a similar issue in January last year.
Mahmood himself had to withdraw from the England Lions squad to India in 2019 due to visa process issues, Australia opener Usman Khawaja also faced the same hurdle ahead of the 2023 Test tour, with Pakistan and The entry of traveling media also appeared to delay India's participation in that year's World Cup.
The England and Wales Cricket Board declined to comment on the matter but it is understood Mahmood remains optimistic he will still be cleared to fly to Kolkata on Friday in time for next Wednesday's series opener .
It is understood that two other players of Pakistani origin, Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed, hold visas.
The tour of duty in India, which includes five T20s and three ODIs, is the first since Test head coach Brendon McCullum took control of the limited-overs set-up, meaning Mahmood will be keen to stay. Make your own mark.
The 27-year-old, who is also part of the squad for next month's Champions Trophy between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, was named Player of the Series in England's T20 series against West Indies in November.
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