Pakistan batter Abdullah Shafique has been denied the chance to make his County Championship debut for Yorkshire against Nottinghamshire due to visa issues.
Abdullah Shafique's Yorkshire debut delayed
The 25-year-old was signed for a two-match stint last week, but has now seen that number halved at best. “We've had some disappointing news on Shafique, his visa isn't going to be ready on time,” said Yorkshire coach Anthony McGrath ahead of the game. “It's out of our hands so there's not much we can do.”
Shafique had been set to go head to head with his fellow Pakistan international Mohammad Abbas, with India’s Ishan Kishan another notable name in the Notts XI.
Capped in all international formats, Shafique was dropped from the Pakistan Test side in October last year, tailing off after an astonishing start to his career which saw him rack up three hundreds in his first eight innings, including 160* in a successful chase against Sri Lanka. That knock finished third on Wisden’s Test Innings of 2022. He has averaged under 25 since that innings.
Several international stars in action in latest County Championship round
Yorkshire are fielding New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke as their sole overseas against Notts, with Ruturaj Gaikwad yet to join up with the Headingley-based side.
Match 67, Nottinghamshire vs Yorkshire
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While the County Championship tends to take a backseat when the Test summer starts, the ongoing round will be keenly observed in both England and India. As well as Kishan, India star Tilak Varma is making his debut for Hampshire, while Jacob Bethell and Jofra Archer, each aiming to win Test recalls, are playing their first games of the season.
Yorkshire are second-bottom of Division One as it stands, 16 points adrift of Essex and in danger of relegation. Notts are top, 10 points clear of champions Surrey.
Wisden.com have approached Yorkshire CCC to enquire about the exact nature of the visa issue. Such problems have become an increasing factor in cricket in recent years. England's Shoaib Bashir joined up with the Test squad in India late in 2024 following a visa saga, while West Indies were also deprived of players at times on their recent white-ball tour of England.
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