South Africa Vs Bangladesh 2017: Rubel Hossain’s Visa Not Cleared For South Africa Tour
Sep 19, 2017 at 2:54 PM
As Bangladesh prepares to take on South Africa with the intention of making an impact away from home, the side has dealt with a blow. After starring all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan backed out from the tour citing fatigue from Test cricket, pacer Rubel Hossain’s participation seems uncertain now. The lanky pacer, who forms an integral part of the Bangladesh setup, still hasn’t completed his visa formalities to tour South Africa formally.
According to the norms of visiting South Africa, an individual’s name must be cleared by the respective airline and must be in the “Okay to board” category. However, Hossain’s name was missing from this list for reasons not known till now. As a result, the pacer is yet to receive his visa for South Africa, putting his participation in jeopardy.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury though, was positive that the matter would soon be taken care.
“There is a new provision that the passenger needs to have an ‘Okay to Board’ clearance from the ultimate destination. It is the responsibility of the concerned airlines before issuing the boarding pass to any individual,” Chowdhury said.
“We are in touch with Cricket South Africa and hopefully, the matter will be resolved soon. He will fly to South Africa with the first available flight once the matter is resolved,” Chowdhury further added, about the matter.
Chowdhury also added that he spoke about the issue with his South African counterpart Haroon Lorgat, who assured him of the matter being taken care of. “I spoke with SA Cricket’s chief executive Haroon Lorgat and he assured me that they will look after the matter with utmost sincerity,” he said.