17 Apr 2009

New Zealand cricketer's county debut delayed

7:05 am on 17 April 2009

The New Zealand pace bowler Iain O'Brien should be opening the bowling for England county cricket side Leicester - instead he's still in Wellington playing a waiting game.

O'Brien's waiting on a work visa to come through after signing to play for Leicester during the recent Test series against India.

He says it typically takes 25 days for the visa to come through but he had hoped it would turn up inside a fortnight, which would have got him to England in time for the start of the county season.

O'Brien's spending about 13 weeks with the county, in two stints, one before the Twenty20 world cup and then returning before re-joining the Black Caps for their scheduled tour of Sri Lanka.