Australia have been hit hard ahead of the first t20I against Bangladesh. Pacer Riley Meredith has been ruled out of the first of the five-match T20I series to be played in Dhaka on July 03, due to a side strain. The Aussies head into this series after losing their previous T20I series against the Windies 4-1. This is their second straight T20I series which is part of their preparations for the T20 World Cup later this year in the UAE.
Australia Lose Riley Meredith Ahead of First T20I vs Bangladesh
Meredith played two T20Is for Australia against West Indies in the series and picked up four wickets. His injury comes at the wrong time for Australia with regular skipper Aaron Finch also out of the seies with a knee injury. He will get a surgery done and will be running a race against time to be fit for the T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old impressed one and all in the Big Bash League (BBL) by scalping 20 wickets in just the 14 games for Hobart Hurricanes last season.
Matthew Wade to Lead in Aaron Finch’s Absence
Matthew Wade will Captain our Aussie Men's team for the upcoming five-match T20 International series against Bangladesh! 👏
Wadey became the 11th man to lead Australia in the T20 format against India last summer. pic.twitter.com/8kgvlPmh2N
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) August 2, 2021
The Australian side are already losing seven of their regular players who have opted out of the tour due to personal reasons. The likes of Steve Smith, David Warner and Pat Cummins are not a part of the squad, Now with Finch ruled out, Matthew Wade will be shouldering the leadership role in the series.
The first T20I will begin on August 3 in Dhaka and the final match will be played on August 9. All the matches are set to be staged in Dhaka, due to COVID-19 norms and restrictions.
This is Australia’s final T20I series ahead of the T20 World Cup to be played between October-November in the UAE. With the regular players missing, it will be a test for the fringe players to prove their potential in the series and make their case for T20 World Cup selection stronger.
Also Read: IPL 2021: England Players Now Available For UAE Leg With Bangladesh Tour Postponed: Reports
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