Proteas announce ODI, T20 squads to take on Pakistan; players to leave early for IPL 2021

ICC postpones World T20 and U-19 World Cup Qualifiers

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been forced to postpone several important qualifying tournaments for three premier competitions due to new Covid-19 strains developing in various countries of the world. The postponed qualifier events were scheduled to be held in the run-up to the 2022 T20 World Cup, Women's 2023 World Cup and U-19 men's Cricket World Cup 2022. Chris Tetley, ICC's head of events, while confirming the news said that ICC had no other option but to postpone the tournament. "As part of the ICC's comprehensive contingency planning process we have decided to postpone three Men's T20 World Cup 2022 qualifying events and the Africa U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Division 2 due to COVID-19," he added. Along with the threat of Covid-19, the costs of creating bio-bubble and looking after so many teams at once would have a significant logistical overhead on the ICC and thus postponement was the wise decision. Now the Asia A Qualifier involving Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar and Saudi Arabia will be played between October 23 and 29, which was slated to be played between April 3-9. Similarly, the Sub Regional Africa A and B will now be played between October 25 and 31. The top teams of the Sub Regional Qualifiers held in South Africa would travel to Nigeria, to take part in ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier which will be held between November 24 and 27. Kenya and Nigeria are the already qualified teams for the Africa Qualifiers. Women's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier has been postponed by a month and will be played in October. Due to the postponement of the U-19 Men’s CWC Asia Division 2 Qualifier, Oman and Singapore have been promoted to the U19 Men's CWC Asia Qualifier on the basis of their performances in the five previous editions of the event.

Watch: MS Dhoni caught napping by young CSK pacer

The Chennai Super Kings are preparing for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League by playing intra-squad matches in Chennai. In a match on Wednesday, March 17, the skipper MS Dhoni was clean bowled by an impressive young pacer Harishankar Reddy. Reddy, who has been a regular feature for the Andhra team in the Indian domestic circuit was picked in the auction earlier this year by the CSK at a base price of Rs 20 lakh. Reddy made his T20 debut in the 2018-20 season and until now has picked up 19 wickets from 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.34 runs per over.

Tamim Iqbal to miss T20I series against New Zealand due to personal reasons

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal who is also their ODI captain will miss the T20I series against New Zealand for personal reasons. The series will begin on March 28 after the completion of the ODI series and Tamim has said that the decision has been communicated to the head coach Russell Domingo and the national selection committee. "Before coming to New Zealand, I had informed the head coach and chief selector that I won't be available for the T20I series. It is for personal reasons. My best wishes are with the team. When the coach said that we have an opportunity to do well here, it includes the T20Is as well,” Iqbal said on Thursday. Bangladesh selectors are yet to announce the squad for the T20I series and the presence of Iqbal, who is their only centurion and the biggest run-getter in the format would have been crucial for Bangladesh’s success in New Zealand as the team is on the path of preparations for the T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in India later this year.

NZ vs BAN: Russell Domingo bullish on big performances from young players

Bangladesh have never won a series in New Zealand before, but head coach Russell Domingo is upbeat about the team’s chances in the three-match long ODI series starting on March 20. Domingo has the experience of leading successful sides on the tour of New Zeland when he was coaching the South Africa side on the tours in 2015 and 2017, and he is eager to put all his lessons behind the Bangladesh side to stage a grand upset against the hosts. "It is a great opportunity for us to do something that no Bangladeshi side has done before. We are all excited by it. It is my first tour to New Zealand with Bangladesh. I have been here previously with South Africa. I know it's a tough place to tour, but it is a great opportunity for some of these younger players,” Domingo said. Domingo has his eyes on the ODI World Cup scheduled to be played in India in 2023 and wants his team to start their preparations with big performances against New Zealand who are considered invincibles at home. “There's a World Cup three years away and New Zealand is one of the top sides in the world. If you want to be serious contenders in India, you have to put in big performances in a series like this,” Domingo added. Domingo pointed out that the 50-over format is Bangladesh’s best suit and the emergence of some impressive pacers such as Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud along with experienced players who have had great success in the format can provide the tourists with an edge that other Bangladesh sides missed on the tour of New Zealand. "I think the 50-over format is our strongest format at the moment. If you look at the team's performance in the World Cup and if you look at the averages of the players, we have some good numbers in one-day cricket,” Domingo asserted. "I think we have some good young fast bowlers who are coming through that maybe New Zealand haven't seen before. They maybe weren't expecting to see. We have got some good potential, guys like Hasan Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed are bowling nicely. We are excited about some of our fast bowlers." Domingo’s confidence can not be ruled out completely as the hosts will be depleted in the first game of a three-match series. New Zealand will miss the dependable pair of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor in the first ODI of the series, and Domingo sees opportunity in the hosts’ loss. "It is a bit of a boost for us, not having (Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor) in the first game in particular. But we know that new players are always keen to establish themselves, so they will be highly motivated to do well," Domingo said. Bangladesh are not ruling out the role of spinners and their spin and they are banking on the ‘experience and knowledge of their spin bowling caoch Daniel Vettori. Domingo pointed out that the presence of Vettori in the camp provides spinners with an opportunity to learn bowling on pitches in New Zealand which subsequent will give them an advantage that other Bangladesh sides touring did not have. "It is great to have Daniel (Vettori). He has been working with us for the last one year. He has been in and out of Bangladesh. We haven't seen him for a while because of Covid but it is great to have his knowledge and experience here, not just about the venues but some of the players too. He has connected with some of our bowlers and batters. We know what an important a batter Dan was for New Zealand. He has given us fresh energy and dimension that maybe we didn't have in the past,” Domingo said of Vettori. Earlier, Vettori had said that spin bowling forms an essential part of white-ball cricket and that Bangladesh spinners can come out with flying colours against New Zealand batsmen in the upcoming ODI and T20I series. He backed his claims based on the bowling numbers of Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner who have tasted success on their home soil and backed off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz to take a leaf out of the Kiwi duo to pose a serious challenge to batsmen in the company of Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed.