WI vs IND: CWI optimistic about players receiving the US visas on time for the final two T20Is in Florida

Some of the players from India and the West Indies still need their US visas to be approved, but Cricket West Indies (CWI) is optimistic that the situation will be resolved quickly. The teams would have to fly to Georgetown, Guyana, and pick up their travel documents, provided the US government authorize them, which the CWI believes is likely.

This weekend in Florida, two Twenty20 Internationals are scheduled between India and the West Indies. The two games will put an end to the five-match T20I series between the two teams. The India tour of the West Indies started with a three-match ODI series that the visitors won by 3-0. The Men in Blue then went on to win the first T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

“I can’t say the issue has been resolved until the visas are actually issued. We are optimistic,” CWI chief Ricky Skerritt told Cricbuzz on Monday (August 1) evening. The US Embassy is located in Georgetown, the country’s capital and applicants will have to pick up their visas there if they are approved.

If reports are to be believed, the Cricket West Indies, as the series’ hosts, has mobilized its ties with the various Caribbean nations, and the Guyana government is helping with the speedy processing of visas with the US Embassy. The travel approvals have not yet been received, but the CWI is confident based on what Skerritt mentioned. To all of the series’ stakeholders, the same information has been communicated. The CWI has been looking at options in case the travel approvals are delayed.

After playing two consecutive games at Warner Park in Basseterre, St. Kitts, on Monday and Tuesday, India will play the final two Twenty20 Internationals in the on August 6 and 7, which, as of now, is scheduled to be held in Florida.

The start of the second T20I was rescheduled due to a delay in baggage arrival

The second T20I’s start was postponed by three hours, and CWI expressed regret for the inconvenience. The reason behind the same was a delay in the team’s luggage arrival, and as a result the game, that was supposed to begin at 8 PM IST, started at 11 PM IST. Accordingly, the start time for third T20I has also been delayed with the game set to start at 9:30 PM IST.