Shoaib Bashir was ruled out of contention for a Test debut in Hyderabad due to delays with his visa (Image: Getty)
England Cricket Team should boycott its Test match against India if British Muslim player Shoaib Bashir doesn't have his delayed visa application approved, an MP has said. Bashir, who is of Pakistani heritage, was ruled out of contention for his debut in Hyderabad on Thursday (January 25) due to the delay.
Nigel Mills MP, a member of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, told Express.co.uk he has contacted the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) about the issue, which has led to accusations of prejudice on the part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-Hindu regime.
Mr Mills said: "In any situation, allowing your opponents to block members of your squad from playing would be unacceptable but for it to be done based on racial prejudice is intolerable. England should not play this Test if the visa hasn’t been issued before play starts.
"Are the ECB and the England players really so beholden to the money in Indian cricket that they would accept one of their colleagues being discriminated against like this?"
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The MP for Amber Valley, added: "The ECB’s diversity strategy and the stands taken by players like Stokes and Root in the past would look like empty gestures... The position is clear: no visa, no play."
The British Government urged India to "treat British citizens fairly at all times in its visa process" in the wake of the furore while India's captain Rohit Sharma expressed sympathy for the youngster.
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England captain Ben Stokes has said he floated the idea of not flying to India until Bashir's visa problems were resolved, but admitted there was no chance of putting the first Test at risk.
Bashir, 20, was forced to fly home from Abu Dhabi, where England held a pre-series training camp, after his team-mates travelled on to India.
Stokes's reaction when he first found out the uncapped Somerset spinner had become the latest player of Pakistani descent to experience hold-ups entering India was for the squad to remain with him in a show of solidarity.
But the idea appears not to have lasted long, with the tight turn around effectively meaning the game would have to be postponed. Stokes was clearly disgruntlement at the treatment of his younger colleague.
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The 20-year-old was forced to fly home from Abu Dhabi, where England has been in training (Image: Getty)
At a pre-match press conference, Stokes told reporters: "When I first found the news out in Abu Dhabi, I did say we shouldn't fly until Bash gets his visa, but that was a little bit tongue in cheek.
"I know it's a way bigger thing, doing that. That was probably just (my) emotions around the whole thing. There was never a chance that we were not going to travel around this, but Bash knows he's had our full support.
"I'm pretty devastated Bash has had to go through this. As a leader, as a captain, when one of your team-mates is affected by something like that you do get a bit emotional.
"I know he's back in London and a lot of people are jumping through hoops to try and get this through quicker. Hopefully, we're going to see him here over the weekend."
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The Somerset spinner is the latest player of Pakistani descent to experience hold-ups entering India (Image: Getty)
Bashir follows Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja - a Muslim of Pakistani heritage - whose Indian visa application was held up last year despite Australia-born teammates receiving theirs sooner.
Cricket fans have compared Bashir's predicament to that of mixed-race player Basil D’Oliveira who was called up as a replacement by England for the 1968-69 tour of apartheid South Africa.
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The MCC called that tour off after apartheid South Africa made it clear D’Oliveira wouldn't be welcome to return to his homeland as part of the squad.
England hope Bashir will return to India at the weekend. Stokes said: "I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team, especially for a young lad. I’m devastated for him."
Express.co.uk has approached the ECB for comment.
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