BCB confirms Under-19s tour of New Zealand

The tour is significant as it is the first time a Bangladesh team will travel to New Zealand following the Christchurch attacks

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2019Ahead of the Under-19 World Cup next year, Bangladesh will have an opportunity to gain match time when they play New Zealand in five Youth ODIs. The tour is significant given this will be the first time a Bangladesh team will travel to New Zealand following the terror attacks in Christchurch in March.Back then, members of Bangladesh’s senior side were “about 50 yards from the mosque” – one of two in Christchurch – where a gunman opened fire. They managed to escape through Hagley Park and the tour was called off shortly after.ALSO READ: ‘There’s shooting here, please save us’All the matches on the U-19 tour will be hosted at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. The matches are scheduled for September 29, October 2, 6, 9 and 13. This series was slated for April, but New Zealand Cricket cancelled the tour at the time. They had felt sending an age-group side to the country affected by the tragedy at that point would be “insensitive and inappropriate”.Bangladesh U-19s, led by Akbar Ali, have had a busy year so far. This tour comes hot on the heels of the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, where they lost to India by five runs in a low-scoring final.Bangladesh Under-19 squad: Akbar Ali (capt), Tawhid Hridoy, Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Rakibul Hasan, Asadullah Hill Galib, Shoriful Islam, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Mahmudul Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Avishek Das, Shamim Hossain, Anik Sarker, Hasan Morad

Adam Finch claims eight-wicket haul as England U-19s fight back to win

England Under-19s produced a brilliant performance to clinch their series against South Africa by winning the second unofficial Test by four wickets

ECB Reporters Network18-Jul-2018
ScorecardEngland Under-19s produced a brilliant performance to clinch their series against South Africa by winning the second unofficial Test by four wickets at Emirates Riverside.The home side were bowled out for 133 in their first innings, trailing the Proteas by a sizable margin. However, the bowlers responded as Adam Finch led the way with four wickets, while Jack Plom and Sam Connors struck twice to dismiss the tourists for 90.There was still work ahead for the batsmen to chase down 167 to win the contest. Early wickets put the pressure on the middle order, but contributions from Tom Banton, Jack Haynes, George Lavelle, Harrison Ward and Jack Davies allowed England to seal the win to secure the Test series.England resumed day three on 121 for 9, and Finch found the boundary on a couple of occasions. However, the innings was ended when Connors was caught behind off the bowling of Gideon Peters, with the home side still 76 runs behind.The Proteas made a solid start to their innings, taking their lead beyond 100 runs before Plom produced a brilliant over to bring the home side back into contention. First the Essex seamer produced a superb delivery to remove Joshua Richards’ middle stump.Louis van Schalk fell first ball courtesy of a suicidal run out as Plom had time to run to the stumps and whip the bails off at the keeper’s end. The collapse continued as Wandile Makwetu edged behind to Davies to hand England their third wicket in three balls. The bowlers kept the pressure on the Proteas and Connors claimed his first strike when Jacob Miltz was caught behind.South Africa lost their fifth wicket on the stroke of lunch when Sinethemba Qeshile attempted to sweep Ward, but missed the connection and was out lbw for 14. After lunch, Connors returned from the Lumley End and nipped one back off the seam to pin Jason Niemand, putting the pressure on the tail.Finch came into the attack to remove Jade de Klerk, who was caught by Lavelle. His dismissal sparked a collapse in the innings as the Worcestershire bowler wrapped up the tail cheaply. Thando Ntini was the first to fall before Mondli Khumalo and Kgaudisa Molefe were out in within the space of four deliveries.England’s reply got off to a bad start in their chase of 167. Ntini clean bowled Ollie Robinson in the second over, while Ben Charlesworth followed his opening partner back to the pavilion for four as Gideon Peters produced a good delivery. Skipper Banton turned the momentum back in his side’s favour, hitting 17 off a Peters’ over before the tea break.Banton continued to make progress, but was then out lbw attempting a reverse sweep off Molefe, ending a stand worth 61 with Haynes. Ntini returned for a second spell from the Lumley End and in his fifth over he removed Haynes, who was caught behind for 27. Lavelle upped the ante with five boundaries to try to put the pressure back on the tourists. However, his dismissal for 25 to Khumalo offered a South Africa hope of snatching the victory.Ward and Davies held their composure to reach their fifty partnership off 126 balls, and although Ward fell to Peters, England were still able to close out the victory.

Taijul's six wickets spin Rupganj out for 84

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches played on May 5, 2017

Mohammad Isam02-May-2017Taijul Islam’s six wickets spun out Legends of Rupganj for 84 as Mohammedan Sporting Club clinched a low-scoring encounter by 51 runs at the BKSP-4 ground in Savar.Known more as a Test specialist, left-arm spinner Taijul got his second six-wicket haul in List-A cricket as Rupganj were skittled out in 32.4 overs in reply to Mohammedan’s below-par 135.Rupganj’s innings saw only Yasir Ali, Naeem Islam and Mosharraf Hossain reaching double figures. Apart from Taijul’s six wickets, Sajedul Islam took two wickets.Earlier left-arm spinner Asif Hasan took four wickets while Mohammad Sharif and Jalaj Saxena took two wickets apiece as Mohammedan were bowled out for 135 runs in 39.4 overs. Captain Raqibul Hasan top scored with 24 as the rest of the batting line-up had plenty of starts but no big score.Abahani Limited got back to winning ways with a six-wicket win over Kalabagan Krira Chakra at the BKSP-3 ground in Savar.Kalabagan were constrained by Shuvagata Hom’s accuracy as the offspinner took four wickets. One of his scalps was that of Tushar Imran, who top scored with 36. Mohammad Saifuddin and Manan Sharma took two wickets each as Kalabagan were bowled out for 156 in 45.5 overs.Saif Hassan struck 61 off 62 balls with six fours and a six as the defending champions reached the target with 19.4 overs to spare.A 123-run third-wicket stand between Shahriar Nafees and Marshall Ayub eased Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club to a seven-wicket win over Prime Bank Cricket Club at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Both batsmen made fifties with Marshall making 62 off 85 balls with six boundaries while Nafees struck an unbeaten 78. He hit five fours and a six in his 125-ball knock.Earlier batting first, Prime Bank were bowled out for 180 in 49.5 overs. Zakir Hasan reached his third List A fifty but it was a pain-staking effort as he tried to keep the crumbling innings together. He struck two fours and a six in his 103-ball innings. Farhad Reza and Delwar Hossain took three wickets each for Prime Doleshwar.

Injury-crippled Hampshire turn to Young

Ireland’s seam bowler Craig Young has joined Hampshire on a short-term loan deal in their first response to a crippling early-season injury crisis

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2016Ireland’s seam bowler Craig Young has joined Hampshire on a short-term loan deal in their first response to a crippling early-season injury crisis.Young, 26, will get an outing in Hampshire’s Second XI Championship match against Somerset at the Ageas Bowl, starting on Monday, in the hope of forcing himself into contention for the home Championship match against Middlesex on May 1.Young was previously on the books at Sussex but had a frustrating time with injuries and never graduated beyond 2nd XI cricket. He has played 24 times for Ireland across three formats.Ireland coach John Bracewell said: “Craig will continue his progression as one of Ireland’s front-line bowlers after a very good spell, especially over the last 12 months.”With the North-West Warriors not having any championship cricket until late May and Ireland not in action until June, we feel the timing is ideal for Craig and hope he can aid Hampshire’s significant injury problems.”Young said: “The request has come from completely left field. But it’s great to be given a chance, which I hope I can grab with both hands.”Two years ago, he suggested that he had the pace and bounce to fill the void left for Ireland by Boyd Rankin. He took five wickets on ODI debut, against Scotland, and was Ireland’s top wicket-taker on a World Cup acclimatisation tour in Australia and New Zealand.Hampshire’s current injury crisis includes fast-bowler Fidel Edwards, who suffered a fractured ankle at Headingley this week whilst fellow seamers Reece Topley, Gareth Berg and Ryan Stevenson are all still not available for selection due to injury.Hampshire’s director of cricket Giles White told The Echo: “Craig comes as a recommendation from John Bracewell and, in light of the current injury problems we have, this gives us a good opportunity to take a closer look at him.”

Sreesanth ban 'against principles of natural justice'

Sreesanth’s legal counsel has called the life ban imposed by the BCCI “bizarre”, against the principles of natural justice and unlikely to stand legal scrutiny

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Sep-2013

‘Life ban too harsh for offence that wasn’t really committed’ – Chavan’s counsel

Kishore Gaikwad, Ankeet Chavan’s counsel, termed the life ban on Chavan as a “harsh decision”. “It is a harsh penalty. As of now, we are convinced that Ankeet hasn’t played a part in any of the mischievous activities. Even the telephonic conversations reveal that perhaps someone else made use of him without his knowledge. But since it was a breach of a few clauses in the players’ code of conduct, we were expecting a suspension of, at the most, five years; a life ban is too stringent a punishment for an offence that wasn’t really committed.”
Gaikwad felt Chavan was “made a scapegoat” since he was among the first three players arrested. However, he clarified that the question of challenging the BCCI decision legally does not arise for now. “It is an internal decision and since the charges were framed after the players were arrested, we will first have to wait for the court to pronounce its verdict,” Gaikwad said. “Once the court verdict is announced, we can consider whether to challenge the BCCI ban or not.”

Sreesanth’s legal counsel has called the life ban imposed by the BCCI “bizarre”, against the principles of natural justice and unlikely to stand legal scrutiny, and said the player would challenge the ban in court once he received a copy of the order. A day after Sreesanth was handed the ban by the BCCI’s disciplinary committee, his counsel Rebecca John said the biggest flaw was the report drew heavily on the police findings in the criminal case, which itself is yet to reach a verdict.The sanctions were based on the report compiled by the board’s anti-corruption commissioner Ravi Sawani.”The [BCCI] order is completely against the principles of natural justice,” John told ESPNcricinfo. If Sawani had relied so heavily on the findings of Delhi Police, she said, then the least he and the BCCI should have done was wait for the final verdict by the Patiala House Court in Delhi, which is hearing the case.”It has based its findings on personal interactions with members of Delhi Police as well as taken material from the chargesheet that has been filed by the police before a sessions court. If that is so then they should have waited for the court to determine whether or not any of this holds up in legal proceedings. They just picked up conversations they had with members of Delhi Police where they said Sreesanth and other members of the cricketing community confessed before them. It is a very, very loose report with little or no substance in it,” John, who was hired by Sreesanth as soon as Delhi Police arrested him on corruption charges during the IPL in May, said.She pointed out that the evidence produced by Delhi Police against all the Rajasthan Royal players was found to be insufficient to keep them in custody – the sessions court has granted bail to all of them, including Sreesanth. “The fact is that the sessions court has released players on bail and said none of this adds up as a case. [The court said] it is very, very tenuous – the link between whatever bookie you are saying had a role to play and the players, particularly Sreesanth, and granted him bail. And then this BCCI’s one-man committee says that Sreesanth is guilty of spot-fixing and hands over a life sentence to him. Not only is it is excessive, it is completely contrary to all principles of natural justice.”John said that from what she had read of his report on the internet, Sawani’s findings, especially on Sreesanth, never added up to a case. “How does he come to a conclusion? By having personal conversations with police officials. And you are basing your findings on these?”In his report Sawani had noted that he listened to and read the transcripts of audio tapes in possession of Delhi Police of conversations between Sreesanth and the alleged bookie. “If you want to read these audio tapes, which are part of the Delhi Police [evidence] in a criminal trial, the link is so tenuous. You will believe it only because the Special Cell of Delhi Police is saying you will have to believe it in a particular way. In any case these are allegations which have to be assessed, processed and a finding has to be determined by a court of law,” John said.According to John Sreesanth is on bail only because “prima facie” Delhi Police had not managed to press a foolproof case against him. “The only reason the life ban was imposed – Mr Srinivasan was very keen to tell the public and the people of India he was treating [the issue] with a heavy hand and some people had to be made scapegoats,” John said.”What is more annoying from the point of the view of the players is that they have let the big fish get away. What happens to Mr Srinivasan. He is owner of Chennai Super Kings and there is a case of conflict of interest pending in the Supreme Court against him. The Bombay High Court recently had called the two-member committee illegal after it cleared Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra [part of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals] from corruption charges.”Now when the BCCI, of which Srinivasan is the de facto or de jure head, conducts itself in this kind of fashion and then it hands over these sentences to players, who are soft targets, it is a little bizarre,” John said.

Hants prosper in home conditions

Aided by excellent slip catching, Hampshire kept their promotion hopes alive by bowling Essex out cheaply on a helpful surface on day one at West End

Ivo Tennant at West End04-Sep-2012
ScorecardDavid Balcombe, seen here last year when on loan at Kent, took four wickets as Essex were bowled out cheaply at West End•PA Photos

In the 1970s and 1980s, Ron Allsopp, the skilled head groundsman at
Trent Bridge, would leave a thick coating of grass on the pitches he
cut, specifically for Richard Hadlee and Clive Rice to exploit. This worked to good effect, not least through continually
winning the toss. That same good fortune is being enjoyed now by Jimmy
Adams and Hampshire’s seamers, who, with considerable assistance from
their slip fielders, dismissed Essex for 180.This is not to say that the pitches cut by Nigel Gray here are
anything like as difficult to bat on as was the case by the Trent in
the past. The bounce is even and there is good carry. Yet it is fair to say
that run-making was rather more straightforward when the one day
international was staged here a week ago than it was now. Every Essex
batsman fell through a catch in the slips or behind the wicket, with
the exception of one tail-ender who was bowled. There was considerable
movement.Gray is no less skilled than Alsopp and his pitches play better the
longer the match continues. The drawback in all this is not so much
that the side winning the toss is more likely to win the match, but
that there is little scope for spin. Danny Briggs, unavailable because
he is with England’s one-day party, would probably not have been picked,
anyway. That has been the situation for most of the season.Essex, facing an attack in which David Griffiths was preferred to
Kabir Ali and Chris Wood, were five wickets down by lunch. The slip
catching was extremely sharp. As Neil McKenzie has returned to South
Africa, no longer required now that Michael Carberry is fit, Adams
himself has gone to first slip. He accounted for Tom Westley and Ryan
ten Doeschate; Liam Dawson is perhaps the best second slip in the
country, and James Vince is pretty competent alongside him. They also
took two catches each. Add Sean Ervine in the gully and this is a fine
cordon.Some of the shot selection was unnecessary. Rather like late cutting
before May is out, cover driving before lunch made for extravagance.
Jaik Mickleburgh and Owais Shah both were out in that way, to David
Balcombe, who finished with four wickets, and James Tomlinson
respectively. Adam Wheater was neatly held by Michael Bates behind the
wicket.Mark Pettini was the sole batsman to flourish, reaching 58 with eight
fours before he, too, fell to a slip catch. Tom Craddock played on to
Ervine after lunch and Maurice Chambers soon edged to Bates. For
Griffiths, playing his first Championship match since May, there were
three wickets. The question now was whether Hampshire, who have to win
this match to have a chance of promotion, could bat any better against
a similarly pace-dominated attack.To a fair extent they did. Adams swung at a short ball from Chambers
and sent up a catch to square leg, but Carberry, so powerful in his
hitting in the CB40 semi-final at Hove last weekend, made 42 with
eight fours and Bilal Shafayat, who is far from in form, looked just
about in touch towards the end of the day.

Leicestershire's celebrations muted despite win

Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard’s celebrations were muted despite his side, ultimately, prevailing over Lancashire in a Super Over Eliminator to book their place in the Friends Life t20 Final

Liam Brickhill at Edgbaston27-Aug-2011Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard’s celebrations were muted despite his side, ultimately, prevailing over Lancashire in a Super Over Eliminator to book their place in the Friends Life t20 Final and also make the cut for the Champions League qualifier. Hoggard expressed his disappointment at the inclement weather and the widespread confusion caused by the repeated stoppages.”It was a little bit disappointing that the weather played a big part in the game,” said Hoggard. “It was going to be a good game by the looks of things, and to come off needing a six to tie off the last ball was a little bit of what dreams are made of. And getting into the super over and the six off the first ball your heart goes into your mouth and you think ‘oh dear here we go’.””I knew that it was going to be a tie because I ran up to [Wayne White] and I said ‘look they can still tie’ and he waved me away saying ‘yeah whatever’. Then it went for six and then I thought ‘what are we doing now?'””The amount of time it took to sort out the confusion, the 10 minutes sorting it out and getting your pads on, and bowling the two overs, we could’ve finished the game. But you can only do what you’re told to. That’s what we did and thankfully we managed to scrape a victory.”Lancashire were understandably glum after their defeat, captain Glen Chapple summing the match with: “It rained.” He was quick to point out, however, that while Lancashire had invested themselves in 17 Twenty20 matches to get this far, they also have the small matter of the County Championship title to chase.”This’ll have no impact on the rest of the season,” insisted Chapple. “Absolutely not. We’ll be disappointed for the rest of the day, but in terms of lifting ourselves for the four-day cricket, that will not be a problem because we’ve got three games to go with a great chance of coming out on top in that.””They’ll hurt now as you would, they’ve just lost a game and obviously they were desperate to win it,” agreed Lancashire coach Peter Moores. “By the time we get to Wednesday next week we’ll be fine, we’ll be ready to go.”Leicestershire, on the other hand, have had a season to forget in Division Two and the potential riches of the Champions League will provide a welcome distraction and allow them to re-group around their Twenty20 successes.”It’s going to be a fantastic experience for the players and the club,” said Hoggard. “It’s going to be a bit hectic at the end of the season, because it’s very close to the end of the season.”I’m going to have to postpone my Portugal golf trip, which is a little bit disappointing because I was looking forward to that,” he joked. “But there you go, that’s how the cookie crumbles. I’m not looking that far ahead. I’ve got a final to play in a couple of hours and I’ll sit down with Phil at the end of the final and we’ll have a drink and we’ll discuss it another time because we’ve got India on Monday then we go straight down to lords to play a four day game. So there’s no rest for the wicked.”

Sidebottom ignites Nottinghamshire's title push

Nottinghamshire stepped closer to regaining the County Championship title they last won in 2005 with a ruthless two-day victory over desperate Warwickshire

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge17-Aug-2010
ScorecardAndre Adams started Warwickshire’s double demise with three early wickets•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire stepped closer to regaining the County Championship title they last won in 2005 with a ruthless two-day victory over desperate Warwickshire. It leaves Yorkshire under pressure to get the better of Durham at Chester-le-Street and Somerset needing a victory over Essex at Colchester if Chris Read’s side are not to open up a clear lead at the top of Division One.Warwickshire, whose return to Division Two looks almost inevitable now, were bowled out twice in the day after Nottinghamshire claimed the extra half-hour. Their principal destroyer was Ryan Sidebottom, whose eight wickets in the day will do him no harm in ongoing discussions with the county over a new contract.The 32-year-old England bowler, whose current arrangements at Trent Bridge run out at the end of this season, is looking for a new deal that compensates him for the likelihood that his central contract with the ECB will not be renewed.Other counties, including Sussex, are watching developments with interest and, while Nottinghamshire are keen to reach an agreement that suits them as well, Sidebottom left his supporters in no doubt that his commitment to the county is as strong as ever.Sidebottom took 3 for 37 as Warwickshire, 13 without loss overnight, collapsed to 121 all out in their first innings, their last nine wickets falling for 68 in an abject display that could not be explained away purely by the fact that the Trent Bridge swing factor came into play.In the event, it was Andre Adams who upstaged Sidebottom initially, the former New Zealand allrounder producing a masterclass in swing bowling, which began with him bowling a remarkable 53 deliveries without conceding a run while taking three wickets in the process.With the ball still getting purchase off a pitch that was offering bounce for good measure, Adams was virtually unplayable from the Radcliffe Road End. He claimed his first success when a frustrated Darren Maddy tried to cut him for four only to be caught low down at first slip, then saw off Jim Troughton and Varun Chopra leg before in successive overs.Four of the next five wickets fell to catches behind the wicket or in the slips, with the exception of Ateeq Javid, the 18-year-old in his sixth first-class match, who was bowled offering no stroke to a ball from Paul Franks. Adams wrapped the innings up when Sidebottom took a tumbling catch at mid-off to dismiss Boyd Rankin, leaving Chris Woakes, on 19 not out, as Warwickshire’s joint top scorer, although Rankin’s 13 was a career-best.If Sidebottom played second fiddle in the first innings, however, he roared back in style with 5 for 35 as Warwickshire subsided to 152 all out following on. The figures were his best for Nottinghamshire since he took 5 for 22 against Kent in August 2006 and rewarded bowling of the highest quality.Trailing by 207 on first innings, Warwickshire looked to be making a better stab at building a respectable total, reaching 87 for 1 as Chopra completed his first Championship half-century since his winter move from Essex but, after Adams had taken the second of his three second-innings wickets when Darren Maddy spooned a catch to mid-wicket, Sidebottom produced two brilliant yorkers in the space of three deliveries to bowl Chopra and Rikki Clarke.He then had Jim Troughton caught behind off a thin edge before another yorker trapped Tim Ambrose first ball as the former England wicketkeeper bagged a pair. He completed his five-for when Keith Barker edged a low catch to wicketkeeper Chris Read, who now has 51 victims for the season.Poor Javid suffered the embarrassment of being bowled without offering a stroke for the second time as Adams picked up his seventh wicket of the day.At 132 for 8 when the day’s allocated overs ran out, Nottinghamshire inevitably claimed the extra half-hour. With Woakes again showing some measure of resolve, it looked for a while as if Warwickshire might at least take the game into a third day.But Franks uprooted Imran Tahir’s middle stump with the fifth of the additional eight overs and completed the job with one over remaining as Woakes edged to David Hussey at second slip.Warwickshire’s dressing room door remained closed long after the players left the field and director of cricket Ashley Giles will find himself under pressure after seeing his side fail to win a single batting bonus point in six of their 13 matches.

Ireland women 'show what they're capable of' with landmark T20I sweep in Bangladesh

They had different players stepping up in their victories, but no one had more impact than Orla Prendergast

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2024Ireland women completed a landmark 3-0 sweep of the T20I series in Bangladesh, clinching the final game of the series in a last-over thriller.Their victories over Bangladesh across the three games – by 12 runs, 47 runs and four wickets respectively – completed a superb turnaround after their 0-3 ODI-series blanking earlier in the tour. This morale-boosting series win in the subcontinent also came at the perfect time, with an ODI tour of India coming up in January 2025.Allrounder Orla Prendergast, Ireland’s star with the ball on the series, finished with ten wickets that included two three-fors and a career-best 4 for 22 in the final game.”We showed just how good a side we are in each of those three games,” Prendergast said while collecting the Player-of-the-Series award after Ireland’s nerve-racking chase. “And what a finish, that’s the best way to finish.”In every game we’ve played, different players have stood up and put their hands up. It’s a great place to be in our squad, to have so many good players throughout our batting line-up and so many bowlers who have come in and change the game.”

After sealing the series two nights earlier, Ireland needed a special performance from Laura Delany, their most experienced player and their former captain, to complete the sweep. Needing to score 15 off the final over, Delany hit a hat-trick of fours to finish the game with a ball to spare. The 31-year-old said the youngsters were inspiring her.”Delighted with how that last over went, but more so just delighted for the team,” Delany said. “We played some really good cricket in this T20I series and to finish it off with a win today just shows everyone what we’re capable of.”The youngsters inspire me. They’re fearless, their aggressive nature. It’s something I try and strive to emulate with my own game but plenty of work to do there. “For Ireland captain Gaby Lewis, who took over in October 2024, it was their success in foreign conditions that gave her the most joy.”We don’t often come to these subcontinent conditions so, any time we get out here, we just want to learn as much as possible and we’ve showed that this series,” she said. “We’ve got better, and that’s great to see.”

India recall Ashwin for Australia ODIs; Rahul to captain in first two games

For the third ODI, India have picked the same squad that will play at the World Cup, plus Ashwin and Washington

Shashank Kishore18-Sep-2023India have included both R Ashwin and Washington Sundar in their squad for the three-match ODIs series against Australia.With the World Cup looming and the team intent on testing more of their bench, regulars such as captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav have been rested for the first two ODIs. In Rohit’s absence, KL Rahul will lead the side.For the third ODI, the selectors have picked the same squad that they will play with at the World Cup, plus Ashwin and Washington.Ashwin last played an ODI more than 18 months ago, and his selection is a chance for the team management to have him ready, along with Washington, should they need to replace Axar Patel, who has a left quadriceps strain that ruled him out of the Asia Cup final.Ashwin has been training at the NCA over the past week along with spin consultant Sairaj Bahutule, apart from regular physical conditioning work, even as the national team was away in Sri Lanka.Related

  • Rohit on resting Kuldeep: 'We don't want to expose him a lot'

“We’re hoping Axar will be fit,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said. “Washy was already part of the squad for the final. Ashwin brings experience, so it gives us options in case there is a need at some stage for us to look at those guys.”Rohit elaborated on the Ashwin selection a bit more when asked if the offspinner’s lack of match-time in the format could be a possible hindrance.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“With guys like Ashwin, game-time and time on the ground is not so much of a concern,” he said. “Which is why we thought if he is an option for us, we need to get him in. With the kind of experience he has, for guys like him, it’s all in the head more than the body. I thought getting him in could give is a chance to understand where he is at, how his body is and stuff like that.”It’s not like he has not been playing cricket for the last year or so. Yes, he hasn’t played in this [ODI] format, but he played Test cricket recently in the West Indies, and if I’m not wrong, in the TNPL as well. Of course, there’s no comparison but he has had some cricket there. The games against Australia will give us a chance to look at where he’s at.”Explaining the team management’s rationale behind naming two different squads for a short ODI series, Agarkar stressed the importance of giving the senior players a “mental break” given the short turnaround between their victorious Asia Cup campaign and the first ODI.”Luckily we got a fair amount of cricket at the Asia Cup,” Agarkar said. “If not, we would’ve looked at it some other way. More than physical, sometimes guys need a mental break, which isn’t a bad thing leading into a tournament like the World Cup.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“For the third game, everyone will be available. We will play our World Cup squad. This [squad for the first two ODIs] gives us a chance to give guys sitting outside a chance. It’s still a strong squad. Like I said, if we hadn’t got a lot of cricket at the Asia Cup, who knows, we may have thought differently.”With Rohit resting, India have the option of picking either Ishan Kishan or Ruturaj Gaikwad as an opener. Gaikwad has been training at the NCA along with the rest of India’s Asian Games contingent that will leave for China on September 27. Gaikwad, who is set to captain that team, will now link up with the rest of the touring group immediately after the second ODI in Indore on September 24.The Australia series, which begins on September 22, is India’s last ODI assignment before the World Cup and it presents a chance for highly-rated middle-order batter Tilak Varma to push his case at the highest level. He has been picked for the first two games.

India’s squad for Australia series

For first two ODIs: KL Rahul (capt), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-capt), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, R Ashwin, Washington SundarFor third ODI: Rohit Sharma (capt), Hardik Pandya (vice-capt), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel (subject to fitness), R Ashwin, Washington Sundar

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