Following delay, England cricketer granted visa for India tour ahead of IND vs ENG white-ball series: Report

England speedster Saqib Mahmood has reportedly been granted his visa ahead of the white-ball series in India, which begins on January 22 with the T20I leg. The right-arm seamer is now set to fly alongside his teammates in the same flight on Friday.

As reported by The Daily Mail on Monday, the Birmingham-born speedster was slated to leave for the UAE on Thursday for a preparatory camp alongside Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, and Mark Wood. However, the ECB had to cancel his flight as his passport was with the Indian Embassy, despite submitting the paperwork last month.

English players of Pakistani backgrounds have faced visa issues while traveling to India in the past as well. Last year, England spinner Shoaib Bashir, who is also of Pakistani heritage, faced issues with his visa ahead of the team's Test series in India.

Saqib Mahmood had a promising T20I series for England in the West Indies

Saqib Mahmood. (Image Credits: Getty)

Mahmood put in impressive performances during England's recent T20I series against West Indies. The visitors secured a 3-1 win in the Caribbean.

In four matches, Mahmood took nine scalps at 10.56 apiece. However, he struggled in the only ODI he played during the tour, going wicketless in eight overs and giving away 56 runs.

England will play three ODIs and five T20Is in India, with the first T20I beginning at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The tour will be Brendon McCullum's first outing as the national team's white-ball coach.

England ODI squad: Jos Buttler (C), Phil Salt, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Ben Duckett, Brydon Carse, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Joe Root.

T20I squad: Jos Buttler (c), Phil Salt, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Ben Duckett, Brydon Carse, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Rehan Ahmed.