Scotland officially marked their entry into the T20 World Cup 2026 after the International Cricket Council (ICC) had no option but to remove Bangladesh from the tournament, over their refusal to travel to India.
Scotland, the next-placed team in the rankings, has started to work on logistics, player visas and other arrangements to reach India in time. But, getting a visa for their Pakistan-origin pacer Safyaan Sharif could be a little more complex than other players in the team.
Teams like the United States of America and England have already had to face visa hurdles for their players of Pakistan origin. Sharif might have to go through the same route, but Scotland are committed to reaching a quick solution on the matter.
Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade said visa clearances for the biennial event are the immediate focus for the management.
“We are all committed to working with the ICC to make that happen,” Lindblade told ESPNCricinfo.
“The visa piece is always slightly an unknown, whether you’ve got three days or 45 days. Over the last 48 hours, our focus has been getting those visas done so our players are ready to go. They are in the middle of submitting their applications, and we’ll be on the ground in India as quickly as we can.”
Lindblade also said that ICC has assured Scotland that it is working with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and local authorities to get visa for the travelling players in time for the T20 World Cup, which starts on February 07.
“There is a team working very hard not just to help us, but to help 19 other teams as well that are also going to a World Cup. But we are their intense focus right now,” Lindblade said.
Born in Huddersfield to a Pakistani father and a British-Pakistani mother, Sharif moved to Scotland at the age of seven and has since evolved into a cornerstone of the national side. Over a distinguished career spanning 90 ODIs and 75 T20Is, he has established himself as a prolific strike bowler, claiming a total of 198 international wickets.