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    Unacademy Road Safety Awareness T20 To Resume on March 2nd

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    Road Safety World Series
    Road Safety World Series

    The Unacademy Road Safety Awareness T20 World Series is set to resume this year after it was called off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Road Safety Awareness T20 World Series Resume

    The inaugural edition was called off midway on 11th March last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and now the tournament is back for the remaining matches and games will be played in Raipur.

    “An array of stars including Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Brian Lara, Bret Lee, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Muttiah Muralitharan and many more legends of five cricket playing nations — Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and host India — will be back in the field to recreate the magic of old in the annual T20 cricket tournament, organized to create awareness towards road safety in the country.

    As cricket is the most followed sport in the country and cricketers are looked upon as idols, this League aims to influence and change people’s mindset towards their behavior on the roads.

    The Road Safety World Series is an initiative by the Road Safety Cell of Maharashtra in association with the Professional Management Group (PMG) spearheaded by Little Master Sunil Gavaskar as the Commissioner of the Series and Sachin Tendulkar is the Brand Ambassador of the League.  Education technology platform Unacademy is the title sponsor and Viacom18 is the broadcast partner of the league,” a press release said.

    Bhupesh Bhagel’s view

    On this occasion, Chhatisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel said: “It is a matter of great pride and honour to be hosting the legends in Raipur during the Road Safety World Series, which I believe is a wonderful concept to create awareness about the menace, and a very important one given that one person dies every four minutes on Indian roads. I also believe that this tournament will bring smiles to millions in this hour of gloom. I extend a very warm welcome to everyone in Chattisgarh.”

    TNCA releases T Natarajan from Vijay Hazare Trophy squad

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    T Natarajan
    T Natarajan

    India’s newest pace bowler T Natarajan has been released from the Tamil Nadu squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy ODI competition as the BCCI wants him to stay fresh for the limited-overs series against England next month, a top TNCA official said on Thursday.

    Natarajan relieved from Vijay Hazare Trophy squad

    India are set to play five T20Is and three ODIs against England from March 12, in Ahmedabad and Pune respectively.

    “That is what we have heard (T Natarajan should be released). We have not got a request in writing, but we understand that the team management wants him to get ready by practicing at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore.

    T Natarajan
    T Natarajan 

    “The secretary is looking into it. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) will take the right decision,” Kasi Viswanathan of the TNCA was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz.

    “The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team management want him fresh. It is in the national interest. And so we are ready to oblige. We had named a replacement should he be not available, and that issue has been sorted out. We have released Natarajan,” S Ramasamy, the TNCA secretary, said.

    Natarajan was earlier included in a 20-man Tamil Nadu squad for the tournament beginning February 20. Tamil Nadu had recently won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Ahmedabad.

    Natarajan Debut in Australia tour

    Last month, Natarajan became the first Indian bowler to make his debut in all three formats on the same tour. He played the last ODI at the Manuka Oval in Canberra after which he was India’s star performer in the T20I series.

    The fact that Jasprit Bumrah missed the last Test at The Gabba in Brisbane made sure that Natarajan makes his Test debut as well. Earlier, Natarajan talked about how emotional he became when Indian skipper Virat Kohli handed him the T20 trophy.

    “When Kohli handed over the trophy to me after the T20 series win, I had tears in my eyes,” Natarajan had said. After he returned from the tour of Australia, the fast bowler got a grand reception in his hometown.

    Vidarbha Added Three New Faces for Upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy

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    Vidarbha Cricket team
    Vidarbha Cricket team

    Vidarbha squad included three new faces for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Vijay Hazare Trophy 2020-21 is set to take place between February 20 and March 14 as announced by BCCI after the successful completion of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021.

    Vidarbha Squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy

    According to information received, Faiz Fazal is back to take the command of a well-balanced side, which has three new faces in all-rounders Harsh Dubey and Kshitij Dahiya besides pacer Suraj Rai. Akshay Wadkar will be Faiz’s deputy. It’s also an indication that the team management and the selectors are looking up to him for a leadership role now.

    Opener Sanjay Ramaswamy also made his way into the side with some consistent performances. The classy right-hander has been in blazing form throughout the Guzder League. Pacer Rajneesh Gurbani, who has been ignored for the shorter formats in the past, too has been included.

    Sanjay Ramaswamy
    Sanjay Ramaswamy

    “Gurbani is bowling extremely well. The ball is coming nicely out of his hand. He is swinging nicely. His experience will help Vidarbha,” a source in Vidarbha Cricket Association told TOI.

    All-rounder Aditya Sarvate is also included in the side. “He is performing well with both bat and ball. His fitness has also improved,” the source added.

    Aditya Sarvate
    Aditya Sarvate

    Sarvate hasn’t been regular in white ball formats in the past but Vidarbha’s disastrous performance in Mushtaq Ali Trophy and extended squad due to Covid-19 protocols might have forced selectors to consider him.

    Dubey, a former India Under-19 all-rounder, forced his way to the side with some superb performance in Guzder League where he emerged the top wicket-taker. He also made some meaningful contributions with the bat.

    Dahiya has been a revelation. His 193-run knock against Medical Representative Cricket Club — which had bowlers like Shrikant Wagh, Darshan Nalkande, Shubham Kapse, Rohit Dattatray and Mohit Raut — played a big part in his selection.

    While most of the players selected themselves, Apoorv Wankhade’s name was missing from the 22-member squad.

    “He needs to show a bit more consistency. He is no longer a rookie and has been around for seven-eight years now. While the selectors don’t doubt his ability, Wankhade needs to work on consistency,” the source said.

    Vidarbha players will assemble at VCA’s residential academy on Thursday morning where they will undergo Covid-19 tests. After the results, the team may have a couple of practice sessions before they leave for Indore on February 13.

    Vidarbha have been placed in the Elite B group along with Tamil Nadu, Punjab, hosts Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh.

    SQUAD

    Faiz Fazal (captain), Akshay Wadkar (vice-captain), Sanjay Ramaswamy, Siddhesh Wath, Jitesh Sharma, Ganesh Satish, Yash Rathod, Kshitij Dahiya, Darashan Nalkande, Yash Thakur, Aditya Thakare, Suraj Rai, Akshay Wakhare, Harsh Dubey, Mohit Raut, Aditya Sarvate, Nachiket Bhute, Rishabh Rathod, Mandar Mahale, Rajneesh Gurbani, Akshay Karnewar, Atharv Taide

    Standby: Parth Rekhade, Saurabh Dubey & Shubham Dubey.

    Facebook Bans England Cricket Team Photo for Being ‘Overtly Sexual’

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    England cricket team
    England cricket team

    A photograph gallery containing a photo of the England cricket team in a huddle among other images was blocked by Facebook for containing “overtly sexual” content.

    Facebook Blocks England Cricket team Photo

    According to a report in BBC, the owner of the digital photo gallery, Mike Hall has insisted that none of the 400 photographs contained any “risque” content but were taken down by Facebook following his attempt to use them as ads on the social media platform.

    Among the other 400 images that were surprisingly taken down by Facebook included a frame of a cow standing on a field, a Hong Kong timeline, a high-rise building, firework display. The reason provided by Facebook to ban the images ranged from “promoting weapons” to “overtly sexual” content.

    Notably, Facebook’s ad policies restrict the promotion of “adult” products and services – a rule that the England cricket team bizarrely found itself on the wrong side of.

    Facebook explains the reason and apologise

    However, the ads were later restored with Facebook apologising to the photographer as they admitted that the photographs were “restricted in error”.

    The image of the England cricket team was taken clicked during the fourth Test against India at Southampton in 2018 – a series remembered for being Alastair Cook’s last Test series. The gallery contained images of a team huddle ahead of day’s play and slip cordon featuring Root, Cook, Ben Stokes, and James Anderson.

    “When you’re running a small business or any business where you’re trying to figure out what’s gone wrong,” Hall told BBC. “You can’t have an arbitrary process with no-one to talk to. When I set up my account with Facebook I had to verify my business with them – but after that, it fell into an abyss.”

    Also read: England skipper Joe Root Achieve THIS Feat in his 100th Test Match

    IPL 2021: RCB Ropes Sanjay Bangar As their Batting Consultant

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    Sanjay Bangar
    Sanjay Bangar

    Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) on Wednesday has roped in former Indian batsman and batting coach Sanjay Bangar as the franchise batting consultant ahead of the Indian Premier League 2021 auction.

    The move will be Bangar’s second coaching stint in the league. In the IPL, Bangar has previously worked with Kings XI Punjab, joining the franchise as an assistant coach before taking over as the head coach. He separated ways with KXIP after the 2017 season.

    The 48-year-old retired all-rounder was Team India’s batting coach for a period of five years since 2014. He worked as an assistant under then Indian coach Duncan Fletcher, followed by Anil Kumble and Ravi Shastri before getting sacked after India’s 2019 World Cup exit. He was later replaced by current batting coach Vikram Rathour.

    Sanjay Bangar joins RCB for IPL 2021

    We are delighted to welcome Sanjay Bangar to the RCB Family as a batting consultant for #IPL2021!

    Though RCB have a lot of key players in its squad they still fail to lift their maiden IPL trophy. Virat Kohli led RCB reached to the playoff in the previous year IPL held in UAE due to COVID19 Pandemic.

    As for RCB, ahead of the IPL 2021 players’ auction, the franchise released 10 players, in Aaron Finch, Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Shivam Dube, Dale Steyn, Parthiv Patel, and Umesh Yadav.

    They will head into the auction with a total of ₹35.7 crores left in their purse, which RCB will have to use judiciously as they need to fill slots of 13 domestic and four overseas players. The auction is set to take place on February 18 in Chennai.

    Kuldeep Yadav’s Coach Breaks the Reason for his Omission in Indian Squad

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    Kuldeep Yadav
    Kuldeep Yadav

    Kapil Pandey coach of Kuldeep Yadav baffled at the wrist-spinner’s repeated omission from India’s Test XI.

    Kapil Pandey on the omission of Kuldeep Yadav

    Prior to the start of the first Test, Kuldeep was expected to be India’s second spinner to partner R Ashwin, especially in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja. But surprisingly, he did not make it to the team even as its third spinner, with the position going to Kuldeep Yadav.

    Pandey is miffed with the team management’s treatment of Kuldeep, saying given his impressive numbers, the wrist-pinner doesn’t deserve to be warming the bench.

    “These players are not able to extract spin off the surface because they are just one or two Tests old, we can’t blame them. I am in coaching for the past 20 years, I have never seen players making the playing XI overnight,” Pandey told SportsKeeda in an interview.

    “Kuldeep Yadav is continuously travelling with them, suffering, yet they are not giving him a chance. There goes a proverb as ‘Ghar ki murgi daal barabar’ – so you are not trying to understanding him, you are not looking at his numbers, you are treating him like a normal cricketer.”

    Both Sundar and Nadeem returned unimpressive numbers with the ball. While Sundar scored a half-century in the first innings, he went wicketless in 26 overs and was given just one over in the second innings. Nadeem, on the other hand, had figures of 2/167 and 2/66. Pandey said he fails to understand the logic behind Sundar and Nadeem’s selection and not Kuldeep’s.

    “In this series, the coach and captain played Washington Sundar because they felt he will partner Ravichandran Ashwin better. Only they know the reason behind this selection. Virat Kohli can dissect this logic, head coach Ravi Shastri also can explain it,” Pandey added.

    “But I feel Kuldeep Yadav is a bowler who can be played in any match, and should be played in any match. Because he is someone who has 24 wickets from 6 Tests, and has never taken less than four wickets in domestic cricket.

    Lastly, Pandey questioned India coach Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri on their treatment of Kuldeep, believing players except the wrist-spinner are given repeated chances to prove themselves. “If he slightly underperforms even in one match, they sideline him. On the other hand, rest of the players are given so many chances. You are including the player who is not in the team, who hasn’t got preparation. Where is the greatness of the captain and coach? The player who has been regularly practicing with the team is not getting a chance,” he said.

    Kuldeep last played a Test match for India back in January of 2019, where he picked up a five-wicket-haul against Australia in Sydney, and even though he travelled with the Test squad to Australia and is currently part of the squad against England, the chinaman bowler continue to be on the sidelines.

    Olympic medalist Yohan Blake Praises Virat Kohli and His Captaincy

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    Yohan Blake Praises Virat Kohli
    Yohan Blake Praises Virat Kohli

    Olympic medalist Yohan Blake praises the Indian cricket team and skipper Virat Kohli and his captaincy.

    Yohan Blake praises Virat Kohli

    The Jamaican sprinter, who won gold at the 100 m at the 2011 World Championships as the youngest 100m world champion ever commented after India were thrashed by England in the first Test match at Chennai.

    “What I really love about Team India is that Virat Kohli doesn’t find any excuses. That’s what I really love about his captaincy, he took the blame for everything. He said the bowlers didn’t find the right areas, the batsmen were not as consistent. He said ‘we got to go back to the drawing board and come back’. And that’s what I love about Virat Kohli and his captaincy,” Blake said in a video uploaded on his Instagram.

    The sprinter went on to talk about Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, who played well in the first Test despite the loss and lauded Pujara’s spoils during the Australia tour.

    “And also, what stood out for me was Shubman Gill, he’s a wonderful batsman. Of course, Rishabh Pant is excellent. Not every time he’s going to put on a show but he’s excellent for the game of Test cricket. That’s why I love Test cricket, it mentally tests you. (Cheteshwar) Pujara in Australia showed that wonderful fight and that’s what I love to see,” Blake said.

    “Test cricket is absolutely the best. The second Test should be interesting, India was 1-0 down in Australia, they are 1-0 down at their home ground now. The second Test, I’m looking forward to it.”

    Virat Kohli led team India faces a massive loss in the first test against England. India set to face England for the 2nd Test match on February 13.

    Wasim Jaffer Resigned as Uttarakhand Coach After Communal Charges

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    Wasim Jaffer
    Wasim Jaffer

    Indian former cricketer Wasim Jaffer resigns as Uttarakhand coach. Jaffer announced his resignation via E-mail days before the team was scheduled to depart for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

    The Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 was scheduled to begin from February 20. Jaffer was appointed to the position last March after Jaffer announced his retirement from all forms of the game.

    Wasim Jaffer Resigns as Uttarakhand coach

    Reasons for Jaffer’s sudden resignation are not known but officials in Uttarakhand confirmed that the domestic cricket legend had e-mailed his resignation. The association is yet to accept Jaffer’s resignation.

    Jaffer, who could not be reached for comment on Tuesday, had earlier said he was looking forward to his coaching career.

    “After I retired I wanted to take up a coaching role. A few teams contacted me but I liked the way Uttarakhand expressed their vision. When I was playing for Vidarbha, I was also in a mentoring role. But to become a head coach will be a challenge as I have to look after all areas,” Jaffer had said after taking charge as Uttarakhand coach.

    He had also said he would coach just for one season since he did not want a long-term contract.

    “I didn’t want a long term role as I want to check how things progress in the coaching role. Uttarakhand is a new team with long-term goals and I realise it will be a challenge to coach a smaller team. They have the potential to do well and the boys are keen to learn. At the moment, there is no clarity when the domestic season will start due to the pandemic,” Jaffer had said.

    Jaffer is also a batting consultant with Bangladesh Cricket Academy. However, he hasn’t been able to travel to Dhaka because of the travel restrictions owing to the pandemic. He is also the batting coach of Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.

    Wasim Jaffer Reply on Communal Charges: 

    There were claims on Wasim Jaffer that he had communal bias during his stint as a coach of Uttarakhand Coach. For that, he pointed the below points through his tweet. He also said if he hasn’t resigned from the post himself, then there would have been a situation he will be sacked.

    1. I recommended Jay Bista for captaincy, not Iqbal but CAU officials favoured Iqbal.

    2. I did not invite Maulavis

    3. I resigned cos bias of selectors-secretary for non-deserving players

    4. Team used to say a chant of Sikh community, I suggested we can say “Go Uttarakhand” #Facts

    Indian Cricketer Manoj Tiwary requested the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (BJP) Mr.Trivendra Singh Rawat 2 intervene immediately.

     

    Virat Kohli Backs Ajinkya Rahane After His Twin Failures

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    Virat Kohli and Rahane
    Virat Kohli and Rahane

    Skipper Virat Kohli has come out in support of his deputy Ajinkya Rahane after the latter was criticised for the lack of runs from his bat in the last few innings.

    Kohli backed Rahane

    Asked about Rahane’s struggles with the bat, Virat Kohli said, “If you’re trying to dig something out, you’re not gonna get anything because there’s nothing. Ajinkya is, I’ve said this many a times in the past as well, along with (Cheteshwar) Pujara, he is our most important Test batsman and he’s gonna continue to be.

    “We believe in his abilities, we’ve believed in his abilities for a long time now. He is an impact player. If you’re talking about the MCG Test, he stood up and scored a hundred when the team wanted it the most.

    So, you can look at the number of innings and what happens from there on, the reality of the situation is we won the series in Australia. And, here there’s just one test, two innings. Yes, you can put today’s innings aside, in the first innings he wanted to score a boundary.

    It was a brilliant catch by Joe (Root) that got rid of him, if that had gone for a boundary, we wouldn’t have been having this conversation,” he added, backing the middle-order batsman.

    Since that 112-run knock at the MCG, Rahane has returned with scores of 27*, 22, 4, 37, 24, 1, and 0. While Rahane was the leader of the side in the last three Tests, Rahane the batsman has been struggling for a while now, irrespective of those odd hundreds in between several failures.

    Virat Kohli Opens on Choosing Nadeem over Kuldeep

    Before this game, left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem was drafted into the side one day before the series when all-rounder Axar Patel injured himself after which many criticised the team’s call of preferring Nadeem over Kuldeep, who was originally part of the squad.

    Shahbaz Nadeem
    Shahbaz Nadeem

    However, Nadeem didn’t prove to be effective enough as in the two innings he bowled 59 overs and gave away more than 200 runs and picked up just four wickets that too when the batsmen were trying to go after him in pursuit of a few quick runs.

    Asked if the team regretted the decision of playing him ahead of Kuldeep, Virat denied it saying, “When you’re playing two off-spinners, Kuldeep becomes more or less a similar spinner, taking the ball away, so you need variety in the attack.

    “We were quite clear on what we wanted to play, what combination we wanted to play. So, there are no regrets whatsoever on that decision,” the skipper added.

    Kohli Displeased at ICC for Changing WTC Points System

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    Virat Kohli With Cricket Sunglasses
    Virat Kohli

    Indian skipper Virat Kohli expressed his displeasure on the changes in the World Test Championship(WTC) points table due to COVID lockdown.

    Kohli displeased with the WTC Altered Points Table system

    Kohli led India lose the first test match by a massive 227 run difference and slips down in the ICC World Test Championship points table. India slumped to the fourth spot in the latest ICC World Test Championship points table after losing the first Test by 227 runs against England.

    “If rules suddenly change during the lockdown, nothing is in your control,” an irate Kohli said on Tuesday. The ICC Cricket Committee, led by former India captain Anil Kumble, decided during the coronavirus-forced lockdown last year that the WTC league standings would be determined by the percentage of points (PCT) earned by teams.

    Meanwhile, Joe Root’s men have taken a huge step towards ensuring a place in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship after zooming to the top of post their comprehensive victory in the first Test in Chennai.

    “Nothing changes for us. If suddenly the rules can change when you are in lockdown, nothing is in your control at all. The only thing that you are in control is what you do on the field,” Kohli said when asked about India’s slide in the points tally.  

    “We are not bothered about the table or things that are going on in the outside. For some things, there’s no logic,” he said, his anger at the sudden change of rule palpable.

    “You can have debate for hours and as much as you want but only thing you can control as a side to an extent is playing good cricket, and that’s our only focus regardless of who’s who on top of the table.”

    PCT is the percentage of points won out of the total number of points contested by each team.

    Kevin Pietersen Trolls India For Losing the 1st Test Match

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    Kevin Pietersen
    Kevin Pietersen

    Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen trolls Virat Kohli led India for their unacceptable loss in the 1st Test vs England.

    Kevin Pietersen Trolls India

    Pietersen used his Hindi to poke fun at Virat Kohli-led India after Joe Root’s England beat them by 228 runs in Chennai in the first Test.

    His post read: “India, yaad hai maine pehele hi chetawani di thi ke itna jasn na manaye jab aapne Australia ko unke ghar pe haraya tha.”

    Impressed with his Hindi, here is how fans reacted:

    Pietersen’s early warning

    Pietersen has been following Indian cricket for a long time and has time and again expressed his fondness for Virat Kohli.

    Earlier, Pietersen had warned India ahead of England’s tour, asking the hosts to not celebrate too much after the Australia win as “the real challenge” awaits.

    It was a win England will savour as it gives them hope of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship later in the year.

    England with its skipper Joe Root’s brilliant 218 that set up the match for the tourists who have now taken a crucial 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series. It would now be interesting to see what changes India makes for the second Test which takes place in a couple of days from now.

    The second Test against England starts on February 13 and it will be played in Chennai.

    Netizens slams team India’s selection committee for not roping the suitable spinner to assist Ashwin in home ground. Moreover, senior players like Rohit Sharma, Pujara, and Rahane still shows their inconsistency.

    Particularly fans slams Rohit Sharma for not making impressive innings since his international return. Rohit joins the International squad after his recovery from a hamstring injury happened in the New Zealand tour.

    Shakib al Hasan Ruled Out of Final Test Against West Indies

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    Shakib Al Hasan
    Shakib Al Hasan

    Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan has been ruled out of the second and final Test against West Indies beginning Thursday after failing to recover from an injury he sustained during the first match in Chattogram.

    Shakib al Hasan Ruled out of Final Test vs West Indies 

    “Shakib has been assessed and monitored continuously since suffering a strain on his left thigh on the second day of the match,” the Bangladesh Cricket Board said in a statement.

    Despite the injuries, Shakib’s return to international cricket following the one-year ICC ban has been a successful one. He was the Player of the Series in the ODIs, where he returned 4 for 8 in the first game and hit 43* and 51 in the next two games as Bangladesh won 3-0.

    Shakib had made a return to international cricket in this series after serving out his ban
    Shakib had made a return to international cricket in this series after serving out his ban

    No replacement has yet been announced by the Bangladesh selectors, who had earlier named an 18-man Test squad for the two matches.

    Shakib al Hasan is on verge of Skipping the NZ Tour

    Allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has requested the Bangladesh Cricket Board to not consider him for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, scheduled in March. Shakib sent a letter recently to the BCB, requesting the board to grant him paternity leave for the birth of his third child.

    “We have received a letter from him to grant leave during the tour of New Zealand as he wants to be with his wife (in the USA). We are yet to take a decision in this regard,” Akram Khan, chairman of BCB cricket operations, told Cricbuzz.

    Shakib is currently recovering from a thigh injury he sustained during the opening Test against the West Indies, which will keep him out of action for the second game in Dhaka.

    Earlier, New Zealand Cricket had postponed the series against Bangladesh by a week due to Covid-19-related challenges, with the tour now commencing on March 20. Initially, the three ODIs were supposed to be held on March 13, 17, and 20. Instead, it will now take place on March 20, 23, and 26 in Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington.

    Meanwhile, the three T20Is will now be held on March 28, 30, and April 1 in Hamilton, Napier, and Auckland. Bangladesh are scheduled to depart for New Zealand on February 22.

    Also read: ICC World Test Championship Points Table, Schedule and Team Standing