Avesh Khan added to India's squad for 2nd Test vs SA; visitors docked 2 WTC points for slow-over rate

Centurion, Dec 29 (IANS) Fast-bowler Avesh Khan has been added to India's squad for the second Test against South Africa, which starts on January 3 at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) added that Avesh will be in the squad as a replacement for injured senior pacer Mohammed Shami. He will now be bolstering the Indian pace attack ahead of the New Year’s Test at Cape Town, with the visitors’ now 1-0 behind in the two-game series.

Avesh, who plays for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket, is currently turning out for India ‘A’ in the four-day match against South Africa ‘A’ at the Willowmoore Park in Benoni, where he picked 5/54 in 23.3 overs, including five maidens, at an economy rate of 2.3.

In 38 first-class matches, Avesh has taken 149 wickets at an average of 22.65 and economy rate of 3.12, including seven five-wicket hauls. Avesh has been capped for India in white-ball cricket – having played 19 T20Is and eight ODIs.

In the opening ODI against South Africa at Johannesburg, Avesh, the right-arm fast-bowler, picked career-best figures of 4-27. Meanwhile, India have been fined 10 per cent of their match fee and docked two ICC World Test Championship points for maintaining a slow over-rate against South Africa in the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion, where they lost by an innings and 32 runs.

Match Referee Chris Broad imposed the sanction after India were ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined five per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

In addition, as per Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Consequently, two World Test Championship points have been deducted from India’s points total.

India captain Rohit Sharma pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Langton Rusere, third umpire Ahsan Raza and fourth umpire Stephen Harris leveled the charge.

India’s squad for 2nd Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Avesh Khan