The latest Indian visa shambles is making a mockery of the T20 World Cup - treating elite players like Adil Rashid as second-class citizens is totally unacceptable, writes Richard Gibson

With just three weeks to go until the opening matches of the Twenty20 World Cup, uncertainty lingers about who will be playing and even where some matches will take place - a preposterous situation for a global tournament.

It is totally unacceptable that England’s players of Pakistani ancestry, and those with similar backgrounds in squads of seven other nations, have been left in limbo - not yet guaranteed to arrive in India alongside their team-mates ahead of the February 7 fixtures.

As co-hosts, India have a duty to ensure that all of the qualified teams are treated with dignity. Yet here we are, a third January in a row, with some of Britain’s leading sportspeople being treated like second-class citizens.

Yes, the ECB remain highly confident that their lobbying of the Indian government and its cricket board will result in Adil Rashid, England’s most prolific T20 bowler, and his long-term successor as a wrist-spinner Rehan Ahmed - Bradford and Nottingham-born with Pakistani heritage - getting their visas granted in good time.

But recent history dilutes such confidence - two years ago, England's first Test team selection in Hyderabad was dictated to them by first-choice spinner Shoaib Bashir’s paperwork being delayed meaning he missed the match, while 12 months ago, Saqib Mahmood was forced to miss a pre-tour training camp ahead of a white-ball tour to the subcontinent.

This latest issue is one known to be causing angst at Lord’s, but the ECB hierarchy’s reluctance to speak out publicly highlights where the power lies in world cricket.

England and Zimbabwe are the only Test-playing nations affected, but there are six others from lower down cricket's food chain, including the United States, who have four players with Pakistan links.

Claims earlier this week by the highest profile member of that quartet, fast bowling franchise star Ali Khan, that their visa applications had been declined, not delayed, have since been dismissed by ICC sources.

But pause and spare a thought for the individuals themselves, who should be excited by the prospect of giving their best on the global stage but are instead feeling hostility before their arrival that will naturally impact their preparations and potentially their performances.

The ICC are said to be working to expedite the process for all, but are also sending a delegation to Bangladesh amid requests by the government of India’s neighbours to relocate their team’s matches on safety and security grounds following a deterioration in relations.

One way to accommodate Bangladesh’s point-blank refusal to play on Indian soil - three group matches are being held at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens, including one against England on February 14, the other in Mumbai - would have been for Bangladesh and Ireland to swap groups.

Ireland are in a group being played exclusively in Sri Lanka, and it would have made sense from the point of view of keeping the integrity of the competition as Ireland are ranked 11th in T20 Internationals, two places below the Bangladeshis, and therefore near enough like-for-like replacements.

A Valentine’s Day date would also have added piquancy to England’s attempts to put a woeful Ashes behind them: Ireland have proved troublesome World Cup opponents in the past, beating Andrew Strauss’ side at the 50-over event in India 15 years ago and winning a weather-hit game when England became T20 champions for the second time in Australia in late 2022.

But it would have been highly inconvenient to the estimated 200-strong group of Ireland supporters that have made independent travel plans for Sri Lanka based on the schedule announced seven weeks ago, and Cricket Ireland confirmed to Daily Mail Sport on Friday that although this Plan B had been aired by some on social media, they had been assured by the ICC that their original group stage schedule is set in stone.

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