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Starc ruled out as Australia confirm Bangladesh tour

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SYDNEY: Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc was ruled out as Australia confirmed their upcoming Test tour of Bangladesh on Friday, two years after their last visit was cancelled over security fears.


Starc, who suffered a foot injury in March, was omitted from the 13-man squad to rest for September’s one-day series in India and the home Ashes series against England later in the year.


The team was also announced despite a long-running revenue-sharing dispute between Cricket Australia and the players’ union ahead of the expiry of their current deal on June 30.


The original tour in 2015 was cancelled after a spate of attacks by Islamist extremists in the nation.


But Cricket Australia executive general manager Pat Howard said Australia has received security assurances from Bangladesh’s cricket board and government.


“We will continue to work with them to finalise plans but also monitor advice from government agencies and our own security advisors about the security risk,” Howard said in a statement.


The trip in August and September will be Australia’s first Test tour of Bangladesh since Ricky Ponting’s team visited in 2006.


Starc was ruled out after follow-up scans after the Champions Trophy indicated his previous stress fracture hadn’t properly healed. Ashton Agar was chosen ahead of Steve O’Keefe as Nathan Lyon’s spinning partner, while all-rounder Hilton Cartwright was recalled. — AFP


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