Indian fast-bowler Mohammed Shami's had been one of the leading wicket-takers for the Men in Blue during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The senior speedster who plays for Bengal has been a very important strike bowler across formats in the last few years. But when he applied for a US visa, his application got rejected due to to the existing police records on charges of domestic violence and adultery. Finally, it was resolved when the BCCI intervened and helped him out with the issue.
In 2018, the 29-year-old cricketer and his wife named Hasin Jahan got separated after the latter accused him of domestic violence and adultery. She filed an FIR against Shami in Kolkata and their divorce is under judicial consideration.
But BCCI came to the rescue of the Bengal speedster as BCCI CEO Rahul Johri wrote a letter to the US Embassy mentioning all the achievements of Shami and providing the full police report about the situation of his marital conflict with his estranged wife.
According to sources as quoted by PTI, the Indian players get their visas under P1 category which is granted to the members of a foreign team of athletes who are internationally recognised.
"Yes, Shami's visa application was initially rejected by the US embassy. It was found that his police verification record was incomplete. However now it has been sorted and all the required documents have been furnished," a BCCI source told PTI.
"Once the visa application got rejected, CEO Rahul Johri wrote a letter of request, citing Shami's achievements including participation in multiple World Cups," he further added.
The Indian speedster picked up 14 wickets in four matches that he played for India in the World Cup which included a hattrick against Afghanistan. He was not selected in the team that played the semi-final against New Zealand. India crashed out of the World Cup as they lost to the Kiwis by 18 runs.
