Red Tape Ends Stuart Clark's Hopes of Playing for Gloucestershire

England's chances of regaining the Ashes have been given an unlikely boost by the Home Office, as Australia's fast bowler Stuart Clark has been forced to abandon plans for a pre-Ashes spell with Gloucestershire after falling foul of tortuous new visa regulations.

Clark's plans to play two championship matches for Gloucestershire caused an outcry among those who felt it dealt Australia an unnecessary advantage, but the deal was mutually abandoned today when it became apparent that he would not gain a visa in time to face Derbyshire at Chesterfield on Saturday.

New visa regulations, requiring visas to be obtained in the country of origin, have caused havoc in county cricket this season. A host of coaches and overseas players arrived after the start of the season and several counties enlisted the support of local MPs to try to quicken the process.

Tom Richardson, Gloucestershire's chief executive, dismissed suggestions that the deal might have been quietly called off because of behind-the-scenes pressure from the England and Wales Cricket Board.

"It is nothing to do with pressure from the ECB,'' he said. "We have not had our arms squeezed in any way whatsoever. We knew there would be risks involved with the visa and we have said this from the outset. It is clear that one is not going to be granted in time so we have mutually agreed to abandon the idea."

Clark first caused a furore when he initially agreed a short-term deal with Kent, only to be called up for Australia's ODI squad against Pakistan in the Middle East. When New Zealand then picked Glourcestershire's James Franklin for the World Twenty20, his county planned to step in. With that opportunity also lost, Clark will now have extra net sessions at Cricket Australia's center of excellence in Brisbane.

"It has become increasingly challenging to obtain an overseas player on a short-term basis,'' Richardson said. "There are more opportunities around for top players such as the IPL and now the visa situation is not making things any easier.

"The most obvious solution is to commit an overseas player for the whole season. That is what we had planned to do with James Franklin before he was picked for New Zealand's World Twenty20 squad."

"This didn't have anything to do with the ECB not wanting me there. It's just that the visa is taking too long," Clark told the cricket website Cricinfo. "It would have been preferable to play a few county games, so in that sense it's a bit disappointing. But it's not to be, so I'll just head up to the center of excellence to get a bit more bowling in."