The four individuals, including one player, have decided to stay put in London, refusing to travel back home to the war-torn country at this stage with the rest of the squad, reports ESPNcricinfo.
The report suggests, however, it “could not be confirmed whether the quartet is seeking asylum in the UK” amidst worsening political and social conditions in Afghanistan since the return of the Taliban to power.
At this point, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has opted not to make any official comment in this regard, but the stance of the four individuals, which feature a playing member of the youth side that did so well in the Caribbean, would be a genuine concern for the board.
Afghanistan made it through to the semi-finals of the Super League in the junior World Cup, eventually finishing fourth in the competition – a remarkable three slots higher than their previous finish in South Africa two years earlier.
The team defeated Sri Lanka in the quarterfinals and gave England a run for their money in the semis. They then competed hard versus Australia in the third-place playoff.
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Following the completion of the event, the touring contingent boarded a flight from Antigua due to travel to Afghanistan via the UK. As per the travel plan, the team landed in London at the Heathrow airport on February 6 morning.
The squad then travelled directly to Kabul from there barring the four yet-unnamed individuals who decided to stay put in the English capital.
That also meant they missed the facilitation ceremony organised by the board for the players, coaches and the rest of the support staff members.
But those four can’t stay in London anymore as according to the UK government’s rules and regulations, they can’t remain in England for more than 48 hours on transit visas that expired on Tuesday this week.
It is this visa insurance for the travelling plan, which included a short stay in the UK in return, that delayed Afghanistan’s arrival for the youth World Cup in the Caribbean and even created uncertainty around their participation.
