This month’s T20I series between the Asia XI and World XI in Bangladesh has been postponed due to the threat posed by the coronavirus outbreak.

Proteas batsman Faf du Plessis was going to captain the World XI. Du Plessis, who recently resigned from the Proteas Test and T20I captaincy, was named in a World XI squad that also featured Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi.

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‘There’s no guarantee that those who are supposed to play will be able to arrive, or can leave after the matches,’ said Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan Hassan.

‘There are a lot of restrictions, so we have deferred both programmes. We will organise after a month taking stock of the situation. It is postponed for the time being.’

England trio Adil Rashid, Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow were also chosen. Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor and West Indian quartet Nicholas Pooran, Chris Gayle, Sheldon Cottrell and Kieron Pollard were in the squad as well.

Seamers Andrew Tye and Mitchell McClenaghan, from Australia and New Zealand, respectively, were also selected.

The matches were scheduled to be played in Dhaka on 18 and 21 March.

Asia XI squad: KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Sandeep Lamichhane.

World XI squad: Alex Hales, Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis (c), Nicholas Pooran, Brendan Taylor, Jonny Bairstow, Kieron Pollard, Adil Rashid, Sheldon Cottrell, Lungi Ngidi, Andrew Tye, Mitchell McClenaghan.

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