WI spinner Akeal Hosein ruled out of T20I series opener against England after failure to get UK visa

London [UK], June 6 (ANI): West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has been ruled out of their opening T20I against England after he and his compatriot Jyd Goolie failed to secure the visas required to enter the UK, Cricket West Indies confirmed on Friday.
Hosein and Goolie could not travel to the UK for the series opener on Friday due to the recent changes to UK visa entry requirements for Trinidad and Tobago citizens, which came into effect on April 23 and May 12, 2025. According to the new changes, both players had to submit visa applications and attend mandatory in-person appointments.
CWI Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, explained the situation and said in a statement by the board, "As soon as the updated visa requirements were announced, CWI began the necessary application processes. This was only possible after Akeal returned to Trinidad, and following the confirmation of Jyd's selection to the Ireland squad."
"Akeal, who was selected for both the England and Ireland legs of the tour, was granted permission to fulfil his commitments with the extended Pakistan Super League until mid-May. Jyd was called up for the Ireland series after Roston Chase was named Test captain on May 16. Chase was set to leave the UK to join the Test camp in Barbados, creating an opening in the squad. However, Jyd was unable to secure the required visa waiver, as the transition period for Trinidad and Tobago residents had already expired," he added.
CWI revealed that "formal efforts to expedite the visa process for Akeal and applied for a visa waiver for Jyd. However, these processes are ultimately governed by UK immigration authorities and remain outside of CWI's control. CWI remains optimistic that the matter will be resolved in the coming days, allowing Hosein to join the squad for the remaining matches."
Chase, who was set to leave for the training camp for the forthcoming home series against Australia, will now remain with the T20 squad for the rest of the series. CWI confirmed that Chase will join his Test team counterparts well ahead of the first Test against Australia in Barbados, scheduled to begin on June 25. (ANI)