One of the 1979 World Cup heroes for West Indies, Collis King, has been deported from England – where he stays with his British wife – because of a technicality regarding his visa application, The Telegraph reported.

King, in the 1979 World Cup final, had rescued West Indies with a 138-run stand with Vivian Richards, helping his team win the trophy for the second time in a row. King’s international career – comprising nine Tests and 18 ODIs – came to a premature end after he left to South Africa as part of the rebel tours.

He then played for several cricket clubs in England across various leagues. At 67, he still plays for Dunnington in Yorkshire and coaches the local players there.

Now But King is stuck in Barbados because of Britain’s strict immigration laws. His Barbadian passport, according to the report, was confiscated by the Heathrow airport staff before boarding his flight back to the Caribbean – because he was deemed to be at risk of absconding.

“I felt like I was treated like a criminal,” he told The Telegraph from Barbados. “It has really shaken me that after all that time that I can’t stay. It really hit me for six.”

“I have been playing cricket in the UK for many years but I have always come back when my visa stated. I have never stayed longer than I was due to stay. If I had six months to play in the leagues, I would always come back on time. Never once in 44 years have I overstayed my time.

King had applied for a spousal visa last year, which would have given him the right to remain in the United Kingdom. But it was rejected and he was told that for a spousal visa he had to apply from his country of origin and was given 14 days to leave the UK.

He’d restarted the process after he returned to Barbados but after three months of waiting, he still doesn’t have a date for hearing.

“I was not born a British citizen but I have been going to Britain long enough to feel part of the English set-up. You cannot come to a country for so many years without loving the place. I have been coming and going, loving the country and that is the sad thing, really,” he said.