BASHIR SAGA COULD HAVE PUT SERIES IN JEOPARDY

») ENGLAND SKIPPER STOKES’ EMOTIONAL RESPONSE AFTER YOUNG SPINNER FORCED THROUGH VISA HOOPS

- Malik Ouzia

THE STORM over Shoaib Bashir's visa delay was today continuing to rage, as Ben Stokes revealed England had briefly considered refusing to travel to India ahead of tomorrow's First Test.

The tourists this morning named a bold line-up for the series opener in Hyderabad, handing a Test debut to Tom Hartley as one of four spinners in their side, but Bashir was ruled out of contention after being forced to fly back to the UK in a bid to resolve the paperwork issue.

The uncapped spinner, who is a British Muslim of Pakistani descent, applied for his visa on December 11, but was still awaiting clearance to enter the country when the rest of the squad travelled to India from a pre-series camp in Abu Dhabi on Sunday without issue.

England initially hoped the problem could be resolved in the UAE and left a member of support staff with the Somerset youngster, but he has since been told he must present his passport at the Indian High Commission in London and was set to do so today.

"When I first found out the news in Abu Dhabi, I did say we shouldn't fly until Bash gets his visa, but that was a little bit tongue-in-cheek," Stokes said this morning.