England gamble on three spinners for first Test as India visa row rumbles on

Tourists to hand debut to Lancashire left-armer Tom HartleyBen Stokes still disgruntled by treatment of Shoaib Bashir

Tom Hartley is confirmed to make his Test debut this Thursday as part of a spin-heavy England team that features just one frontline seamer in Mark Wood and remains without the services of Shoaib Bashir following his visa delay.

Speaking a day out from the series opener against India in Hyderabad, Ben Stokes repeated his frustration at Bashir’s inability to travel and revealed his first reaction to the news – though “tongue in cheek” – was for the entire team to remain at their training base in Abu Dhabi until the issue was resolved.

Continue reading…