Middlesex want Hong Kong’s Anshuman Rath but visa hitch may affect his English County chances
The batting all-rounder is ineligible for a UK sporting visa because Hong Kong is only an associate ICC member
Middlesex want him and Anshuman Rath wants desperately to play for them but the Hong Kong player’s English County Cricket hopes have hit a visa snag.
The 19-year-old batting all-rounder has had an outstanding season with the Middlesex second XI and the county side are keen to sign him up as a full professional. However, United Kingdom visa rules are holding him back.
Rath is unable to convert his four-year student visa into residency and the club is prevented from recruiting him on a “sports person” visa because of Hong Kong’s status as a second-tier associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“I think Middlesex have been brilliant,” said Rath. “After all that has happened, it would have been easy for them to say ‘thank you very much, there’s nothing we can do’, but the fact is they are going out of their way to help me and they didn’t have to.
“It makes me want to play for them even more. They’ve been very supportive.”
