The Pakistan-born Australian batsman Usman Khawaja says he was being refused a visa into India for next month's Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament because of his country of birth.
Khawaja vented his anger on social media site Twitter, saying India's visa department "need to sort their issues out".
In an exchange with his Portuguese-born NSW teammate Moises Henriques, Khawaja said it "wasn't that I wasn't born here but where I was, brother".
Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed that Khawaja's visa had been held up by officials at the Indian High Commission (embassy) but said they were confident of resolving the issue before the tournament, which starts on September the 23rd.
Khawaja, the first Muslim to wear the baggy green for Australia and also a qualified pilot, is on the 20-man long list for the NSW Twenty20 side, of which 15 will ultimately be sent.
He is also a member of the 15-man squad set to compete in three Tests against Sri Lanka from August the 31st to September the 20th.
