West Indies T20 squad affected by UK visa changes
Spinner Akeal Hosein and young talent Jyd Goolie have experienced challenges in joining the West Indies squad for the upcoming T20 Internationals against England and Ireland, which begin today.
The challenges are due to updated UK visa entry requirements for Trinidad and Tobago citizens, which came into effect on April 23rd and May 12th, 2025. These changes required both players to submit visa applications and attend mandatory in-person appointments, says Cricket West Indies (CWI).
Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, explained: “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”, said Bascombe.
He added: “Akeal, who was selected for both the England and Ireland legs of the tour, was granted permission to fulfill 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.”
CWI made 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.
In the interim, Chase will now remain with the T20 squad for the rest of the series before joining his test team counterparts well ahead of the first Test against Australia in Barbados.
CWI thanks fans and stakeholders for their continued support and understanding as we navigate these administrative challenges and looks forward to a successful series. (CWI)
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