New Delhi, Sep 11
Left-arm fast-bowler Saurabh Netravalkar, who shined for USA during this year’s Men’s T20 World Cup by picking six wickets in as many games, has been included in the squad for the Namibia tour happening later this month.
But Netravalkar, 33, will play only in the ODI leg of the tour, especially after missing the USA’s tour of Netherlands due to being on paternity leave. In his absence from the T20I team, left-arm seamer Ayan Desai has been handed a maiden call-up to the national team.
USA won’t have the services of vice-captain, batter Aaron Jones as he’s playing for St Lucia Kings in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL). But Andries Gous, one of the bright spots for USA in the T20 World Cup, is named for the Namibia tourn, which means he will cut short his stint with the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in CPL.
On the other hand, former captain, left-handed top-order batter Steven Taylor has been ruled out of the Namibia tour due to injury, while Smit Patel, who impressed in ODIs against Netherlands, has been included, so as Milind Kumar.
USA will play ODIs against hosts’ Namibia and the UAE from September 16 to 26, with the series being a part of the ICC Cricket World Cup League Two 2023-27. The ODIs will be followed by four T20Is against Namibia and UAE.