In a huge blow to the Indian squad ahead of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Umran Malik and Kuldeep Sen bowed out of the tournament as they will not be able to go to Australia due to not getting visas.
Umran Malik, Kuldeep Sen staying back, will take part in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Umran Malik of Jammu and Kashmir and Kuldeep Sen of Madhya Pradesh, who performed amazingly in IPL 2022, were selected as net bowlers in the team playing the T20 World Cup in Australia. Unfortunately, as per media reports, their names have been withdrawn due to the unavailability of visas and their flight to the Land Down Under has been called off and Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj and Shardul Thakur will leave for Australia, replacing them.
As per the ICC rules, there is a provision to give early visas to 15 key players of each team and players included as reserves, but there is no such rule for net bowlers. Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, and Deepak Chahar were included as reserve players in India’s squad. However, Chahar has already been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
Apart from Umran and Kuldeep, the two other fast bowlers selected as net bowlers to practice batsmen in India’s 15-man squad are Chetan Sakaria and Mukesh Chaudhary, and all four were supposed to train with the primary squad in Perth.
Sakaria and Mukesh have already touched down in Australia with the rest of the Men In Blue and have already started to train with the batters, as both of them already had visas to Australia, but Kuldeep and Umran had to stay back and will now take part in the in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT20), representing their respective states.
“They (Malik and Kuldeep) won’t be going (to Australia) anymore as ICC will be providing net bowlers after October 17,” stated a BCCI official. “Anyway, other net bowlers will be flying in a few days. We tried for their visas but couldn’t get it done on time. That’s why they have been asked to play Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.”
In the meantime, cricket legend and former fast bowler Brett Lee expressed that Umran should have been a member of the Indian squad for the T20WC.
“Umran Malik is bowling at 150 km per hour,” Lee said in an interview with Khaleej Times, “I mean, when you have the best car in the world, and you leave it in the garage, what’s the point of having that car? Umran Malik should have been picked in the Indian squad for the World Cup.” [H/T Indian Express]
