http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Gilchrist-c918 happy to know that Azhar Mahmood gets Indian visa – Cricket News Update
Former Pakistani all-rounder, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Azhar-Mahmood-c1116, has finally received his the Indian visa after all the fuss and now he is set to take part in the fifth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and will represent Kings XI Punjab.
No Pakistani player has taken part in the cash-rich league after its first edition in 2008 as the relations between the two countries deteriorated after the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 terror attacks.
However, Azhar is now a British citizen and plays his County cricket for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kent-c802. He was bought by Kings XI Punjab during the auction for the on-going season and was expected to play a huge part in Punjab’s success. However, the all-rounder was not able to take part in the initial three matches of the tournament as he failed to get the Indian visa in time.
Adam Gilchrist, who is the captain and the coach of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Punjab-c833 at the same time, is jubilant with the news and also confirmed it in front of the media.
“I have just been told that he has received a visa,” said Gilchrist.
Prior to that, former Australian cricketer had expressed his disappointment over the delay of Mahmood’s visa as he was expecting the all-rounder to be an integral part of the team.
The Kings XI skipper said earlier, "It's up to the government because he is not getting his visa at the moment. We bought a player we were told was available for every game and we are still unable to access our player. It's not in our hands."
Mahmood came through the ranks of junior cricket in Pakistan during 1990s and made his way into the national team in 1996. The all-rounder made an immediate impact in Test cricket as he scored three Test hundreds in his initial three matches and emerged as a star in international cricket.
However, Azhar could not maintain his place in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 team for a long period of time, even though he was predicted for greatness at the start of his career.
Over the years, Azhar has been a brilliant performer in domestic T20 leagues all around the world and this is the reason why he can make a difference in Punjab’s fortunes this season.
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