Racing against the time, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) on Wednesday finally managed to obtain the visa from the UK embassy for five players of the Under 19 team for the scheduled tri-series in West Indies, Cricket Age reliably learns.
The team was originally scheduled to leave for West Indies on November 29 to take part in the U19 tri-series, involving home side and England. However, only few hours before the scheduled departure, the US Embassy rejected four players visa applications from the selected 15-members squad and a total of 7 players from 33 players, for whom SLC applied for visas, citing ineligibility under US immigration act.
SLC, however, once again tried by reapplying for the visas. And, when US embassy rejected once again, SLC opted for UK visa for those players.
“We obtained the visas for all five players from the UK Embassy today. accordingly, now the squad will depart for the West Indies in two batches on December 6 and 7” a top SLC official told Cricket Age.
