South African skipper AB de Villiers. (AFP)
IANS/Dhaka
AB de Villiers is set to miss the One-Day International (ODI) series against Bangladesh as he will return to his country after the International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a suspension notice to the South Africa 50-over skipper.
In his absence, his deputy in ODIs and Test skipper Hashim Amla will lead the Proteas. Leg spinner Eddie Leie, who debuted in the second Twenty20 International on Tuesday, will replace de Villiers, reports bdnews24.com.
The master blaster was handed a one-match suspension for maintaining a slow over-rate during their World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in March. It was his second offence within 12 months.
The first ODI against Bangladesh, which will be held in Mirpur on Friday, will be South Africa’s first since their World Cup exit in that match. The ban will take effect for tomorrow’s opening ODI against Bangladesh. Following the ban, the management decided to release de Villiers from the squad for the upcoming three-match series.
“AB’s presence and contributions will be missed but we have a hectic playing schedule this season. We felt this would be a great opportunity to develop the next tier of batters during this series, like we are doing with our bowlers,” coach Russell Domingo said.
“We would also like to give him the peace of mind of being close to his wife with the imminent birth of his first born child.”
Bangladesh call up Mahmudullah, Anamul for ODIs
Mahmudullah Riyad has returned to the Bangladesh squad while Anamul Haque has been recalled for the One-Day International (ODI) series against South Africa. Chief selector Faruk Ahmed announced a 14-man squad for the first two of the three-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
All-rounder Mahmudullah, who was ruled out of the India series and the Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa with a finger injury, has been included after full recovery.
Anamul suffered a shoulder injury during a World Cup pool match against Scotland in Australia last February. The opener was included after a surgery on his shoulder and played in the domestic league.
Mominul Haque and Rony Talukdar, who were in the squad for the ODI series against India, were left out while Taskin Ahmed is still nursing his injuries. Jubair Hossain, who replaced Taskin in the third ODI against India, was also named in the squad against South Africa.
Despite being in the squad, Mominul or Talukdar did not play any of ODIs against India. Talukdar, who debuted in the second T20I against South Africa, was benched to make way for Mahmudullah’s while Anamul replaced Mominul. Bangladesh and South Africa will play the first two ODIs in Mirpur tomorrow and Sunday.
The squad: Mashrafe bin Mortaza (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Liton Kumar Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Jubair Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.
India must beat Zimbabwe 3-0 to remain second in ODI rankings
India must win all three One-Day Internationals against Zimbabwe to retain their second place in the ODI rankings. India face hosts Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series from tomorrow. Second-ranked India (115 points) lead 11th-ranked Zimbabwe (44) by 71 ratings, making them the overwhelming favourites to win the series 3-0, failing which India will drop down the list. A 3-0 win for India will help them maintain their second ranked position with 115 points.
A 2-1 win for India will see them drop two points but maintain their second spot, and a 1-2 loss will mean India surrender four points and go down to fourth. A 3-0 win for Zimbabwe will help them jump to 52 points, overtaking Ireland to the 10th spot, with India sliding to the fifth spot with 109.
The ICC ODI team rankings:
1. Australia 129 points, 2. India 115, 3. New Zealand 112, 4. South Africa 112, 5. Sri Lanka 106, 6. England 98, 7. Bangladesh 93, 8. West Indies 88, 9. Pakistan 87, 10. Ireland 50, 11. Zimbabwe 44, 12. Afghanistan 41
Women’s Big Bash League cricketers to be unveiled
Cricket Australia (CA), in a historic move, will announce details of the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) at the iconic Luna Park in Sydney tomorrow.
The event will provide information about the first season of the new league which is set to attract world class players to Australia and encourage women and girls to get more involved in cricket. The first players selected for each WBBL club will also be revealed at the launch along with the full season fixture and ground-breaking broadcast arrangements. CA’s Senior Manager of Team Performance Belinda Clark will attend the event.
