Tamim Iqbal will join the rest of his teammates in the United Arab Emirates once his visa comes through

Image courtesy of: Cricket West Indies

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal and pace bowler Rubel Hossain were unable to depart for the United Arab Emirates with the rest of their teammates for the Asia Cup due to visa complications.

However, Tamim and Rubel were not the only members of the squad affected as team manager Khaled Mahmud and chief selector Minhajul Abedin suffered the same problem.

The quartet are still waiting for their visas to come through, but a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official is optimistic the visas will be issued in the next day or two.

“There were some technical problems that prompted them to stay back in Dhaka, however, we are hopeful that Tamim, Rubel and Mahmud will obtain their visas within the next one or two days,” the official, who chose to remain anonymous, was quoted as saying by The Daily Star. “After getting the visa, they will immediately depart for the UAE.”

Vice-captain and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will join the team directly in Dubai as he will travel there from the United States, where he is on holiday with his family.

Bangladesh will kick off their Asia Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on September 15.