World Cup 2019: Pakistan applies for England visas for 27 players

May 30 will see the commencement of the World Cup 2019 when hosts England will take on the 2015 semi-finalists South Africa in a cracking opening encounter. This will be the fifth time England and Wales are hosting the event and will see five-time champions Australia defend their crown.

Another team that is considering themselves a favourite to win the tournament are 1992 World Cup winners Pakistan team, which had won the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 held in England itself. Considering this, PCB have submitted British visa applications of 27 players for the World Cup at the UK embassy in Islamabad.

Players who have submitted visa applications for World Cup

The Pakistani team will tour England for one T20 and five ODIs in May, which will be theirs and England’s final assignment before the World Cup. Amongst the list of the players who have submitted their visa applications in the UK embassy are Sarfaraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Fahim Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz, Asif Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abid Ali, and Muhammad Rizwan.

A surprising name who has submitted his application for the visa is Umar Akmal, who featured in the recent ODI series against Australia and didn’t make a mark. A source with direct knowledge of the matter said that though his chances in the World Cup are extremely low, also submitted the visa application for England. However, wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan is likely to be included in the squad as a backup for captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, after scoring two centuries against Australia in this series.

The head coach Mickey Arthur earlier on Tuesday in a press conference said he will be having a meeting with all the coaches shortly and will discuss individual plans for each player and it will be a build for our players for the series in England in their backyard.