Yorkshire waiting for skipper Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel faces visa delay

The new club captain of Yorkshire and Pakistan cricketer, Shan Masood, may not be available for the initial rounds of the 2023 County Championship action as he is in contention for selection in Pakistan's upcoming home series against New Zealand.

Shan was also part of the Pakistan T20I squad that recently lost 2-1 to Afghanistan in Sharjah, but didn’t get a game.

"We haven’t heard anything yet regarding Shan," Yorkshire head coach, Ottis Gibson was quoted as saying by the Yorkshire Post. "But if he's available then hopefully we can get him on a plane as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, Yorkshire are trying to sign the talented Pakistan batsman, Saud Shakeel, as a replacement for the injured Neil Wagner for the early part of the County Championship season.

However, Shakeel is facing visa delay issues and might not be available for Yorkshire in time for their first Division Two fixture against Leicestershire at Headingley on Thursday.

"We've had discussions with Saud Shakeel, but the reality is that when it comes to Pakistani players getting visas it takes longer than normal, and he's been trying for about two weeks now to get a visa and nothing's happened with that," Gibson said.