In a major blow to the visitors ahead of England vs West Indies T20I series commencing on Friday (June 6), the Caribbean duo of Akeal Hosein and Jyd Goolie have been ruled out of the early matches in United Kingdom (UK) due to visa issues.

Both players are currently stuck in Trinidad after being unable to secure the UK entry visas in time. The development comes after the UK government introduced updated travel requirements for Trinidad and Tobago citizens on Wednesday (April 23), mandating in-person visa appointments before final approvals.

Akeal Hosein, the world no. 2 T20I bowler and a key figure in the West Indies T20I setup, was expected to play in the opening game against England on Friday (June 6) at Chester-le-Street.

However, having just returned from playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), he was unable to attend the required appointment for visa clearance and his passport is now with immigration authorities, making it difficult to feature him in early part of the tour.

The second T20I is set for Sunday (June 8) in Bristol, followed by the third on Tuesday (June 10) in Southampton.

Another player to miss the series is uncapped batter Jyd Goolie who was added to the squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland, replacing Roston Chase.

Chase returned to West Indies for preparation ahead of the Test series against Australia, where the Kangaroos are set to play their first overseas Day/Night Test match. Goolie got a late call-up but he won't join the squad due to a similar visa issue.

"As soon as the updated visa requirements were announced, CWI began the necessary application processes. This was only possible after Akeal returned to Trinidad, and following the confirmation of Jyd's selection to the Ireland squad," Cricket West Indies (CWI), Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe was quoted saying to BBC.

CWI further added, "CWI made formal efforts to expedite the visa process for Akeal and applied for a visa waiver for Jyd. However, these processes are ultimately governed by UK immigration authorities and remain outside of CWI's control."