Umpire Rauf to miss Chennai Test because of visa problems

ICC elite panel umpire Asad Rauf of Pakistan will not officiate in the first Test between India and England, starting next week in Chennai, as he does not have a visa for Chennai.

The first Test between the countries was relocated to Chennai following the terror strikes in Mumbai.

Rauf has a valid visa for Ahmedabad and Mumbai -- the cities originally scheduled to host the two Tests -- but the matches were shifted to Chennai and Mohali respectively and the process to procure a visa for the southern metropolis was delayed because of religious holidays.

"The Indian High Commission is shut for the next five days because of the weekend and the Eid holidays," Rauf was quoted as saying by the cricinfo.

"So I will not be able to get the right visa for the first Test in time. There is still time for the second Test so I hope to be there for that. The BCCI has given instructions to the High Commission to provide the right visa as soon as the application is made," he added.

Pakistani and Indian nationals require city-specific visas to travel to each other's country.

Rauf was supposed to officiate in the two Tests along with Australia's Daryl Harper, while Jeff Crowe of New Zealand will oversee the matches as match referee.

Although Rauf has expressed his inability to be on time for the first Test, the International Cricket Council is yet to make any official announcement on the Pakistani's replacement.