Pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman is yet to get a UK visa to play for county team Sussex despite six working days have passed since he faced a visa interview.
A Bangladesh Cricket Board official privy to the matter said Mustafiz faced visa interview on last Monday but was made to wait as his application is needed to be scrutinised.‘Usually cricketers are not required to face visa interview, but Mustafiz had to go through the process due to the ongoing terror fear all over the world,’ he said. ‘Maybe this is why the High Commission is taking time to grant him the visa.
‘But we expect him to get the visa tomorrow [Tuesday]. His flight has been booked in Bangladesh Biman for Wednesday. If he gets visa tomorrow he will fly next day,’ said the official.
Asked why Mustafiz was late to apply for visa, he said they had to wait for certain documents from Sussex.
‘Since he was going to apply for work visa, we needed to get certain documents from Sussex. By the time we got it, Eid holiday started in our country. So it took us some time to apply for his visa,’ he said.
Sussex will feature in two Twenty20 matches on Thursday and Friday and if the young pacer fails to get his visa today and misses his Wednesday flight his UK journey may become futile and uncertain with his team having very few matches left.
Mustafiz was scheduled to join Sussex in June after signing as their second overseas cricketer for the NatWest T20 Blast and the Royal London One-Day Cup.
But his participation was delayed by the medical team of Bangladesh Cricket Board, who feared that the cricketer may suffer a burnout after grueling campaigns in the ICC World Twenty20 and Indian Premier League.
The BCB cleared him to play for Sussex in late June after a rehabilitation process, prompting the paceman to apply for his visa.
-With New Age input
