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South Africa's experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj will feature in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for the first time after he signed up with Fortune Barishal.
The 34-year-old is set to arrive in Chattogram on February 13 which will make him available for their game which will take place on next day. While Maharaj is all set to make his debut in BPL, the South Africa team will be engaged in the second Test against New Zealand in Hamilton from February 13. The inexperienced South African team suffered a monumental 281-run defeat in Mount Maunganui in the first Test. The squad features a majority of young and inexperienced players as most of the first-team stars were engaged in the recently concluded SA20 league. Maharaj's first team campaign ended on February 10, when his team (Durban's Super Giants) ended up on the losing side against Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final of the competition. He wouldn't have been available for the second Test as Cricket South Africa (CSA) policies state that a player needs a week to acclimatize to venue conditions. The final of the second season of the SA20 League saw Sunrisers' set a target of 205 following a stunning all-rounder batting display. They managed to restrict Durban to a score of 115 following economical bowling spells, with Marco Jansen starring with 5/30, although the victory was set up by Dan Worrall (2/15) and Ottniel Baartman (2/17). According to ESPNcricinfo, some South African players who were involved in SA20 made inquiries to CSA about the possibility of featuring in the ongoing ILT20. However, the players did not request for no-objection certificates (NOC) as CSA wasn't keen on the idea. Maharaj joining BPL will see him miss the domestic four-day competition as well. He could turn out to be a crucial player for Fortune Barishal as they are on the 4th position in the League table and have four crucial group stage games remaining. (ANI)
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