Mark Wood is ready to come back to England’s bowling lineup for the third Test versus India, which begins on Thursday. The only remaining uncertainty for the touring team is Rehan Ahmed’s visa status, as they aim to regain control in the series.

Wood has been included in a 12-man team for a significant game at 1-1, but the decision on which spinner will be replaced is still dependent on Ahmed’s circumstances on Tuesday night. The 19-year-old was detained upon arrival in India on Monday after the team’s break in Abu Dhabi during the series, as his visa (originally obtained for him to potentially join the World Cup team last year) was discovered to be valid for only one entry.

Ahmed was given permission to return to the country and participated in team training on Tuesday. However, the travel document provided by officials, which was valid for 48 hours, still needed to be exchanged for a new visa. This is the second issue of its kind that England has faced during this tour. Shoaib Bashir was unable to play in the first Test due to complications related to his Pakistani background and the requirement to travel from the team’s pre-series camp in Abu Dhabi to London in order to complete necessary paperwork.

If Ahmed is given permission to play, Bashir might not get the chance despite a promising first appearance in the loss at Visakhapatnam last week. With a potentially uneventful pitch in sight, Ben Stokes seems interested in pairing up with his fastest bowler, Wood, and Jimmy Anderson, while leaving spin duties to Ahmed, Tom Hartley, and Joe Root.

In the opening match in Hyderabad, Wood was the only seam bowler and unfortunately did not take any wickets despite bowling 25 overs. Stokes, who is set to play his 100th Test, suggested that having two seamers in the team would provide more options and allow them to use Wood strategically without relying solely on him as the sole seamer.

England was possibly lucky that they arrived on Monday, as it was the first international flight to land at Hirasar airport. The airport is currently undergoing upgrades from being a domestic airport. If they had flown into a busy hub like Delhi or Mumbai, the temporary exception for Ahmed may not have been allowed.

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Regardless, it is a significant mistake on the part of the England and Wales Cricket Board to overlook Bashir’s complications. It could potentially have harmful consequences, especially since no replacement spinner was selected after Jack Leach’s tour was cut short due to a knee injury. The department responsible for operations, led by Stuart Hooper, the former director of rugby at Bath, may face inquiries from within the organization.

Stokes and Brendon McCullum, the head coach for Test matches, reportedly stayed at the airport while Ahmed was delayed for approximately 30 minutes on Monday. Due to the England players having e-visas instead of printed ones in their passports, the 19-year-old was unaware that his visa was not considered valid.

Ollie Robinson faced a similar issue that nearly hindered his flight from Abu Dhabi at the beginning of the tour. His visa application was initially denied due to an error on the form.

During his podcast, Chatting Balls, Robinson mentioned that there was a mistake at the ECB. He believes that either the initials were entered incorrectly or there was a misspelling. As a result, his visa did not get approved. The team manager, Wayne Bentley, informed him that he would have to stay an extra night or possibly even longer. However, the next morning, Robinson received a pleasant message from Bentley stating that his visa had been approved.

Source: theguardian.com