Munaf advised two weeks' rest

Paceman Munaf Patel was on Monday ruled out of the first two One-Day Internationals against the West Indies after being advised two weeks' rest for a sore ankle.

Patel hurt the ankle early on the tour of South Africa and had sat out of three ODIs and the first two Tests. He was brought in for the third Test but was clearly not completely fit. A medical examination by Board of Control for Cricket in India physician Dr Anant Joshi confirmed just that.

"Patel has been advised two weeks' rest by Dr Joshi when he examined him today after the bowler complained that he was still feeling pain in the ankle," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said.

Patel will thus not be available to play at least in the first two ODIs against the West Indies at Nagpur (January 21) and Cuttack (January 24), Shah said.

The team for the first two matches of the home series, along with the list of 30 probables for the World Cup, would be picked at Rajkot on January 12.

Surprisingly, Patel, who hurt his ankle during the second ODI, had been declared fully fit by team physio John Gloster to play in the deciding third and final Test at Cape Town.

Asked how this could have happened, Shah said the bowler did not complain then that he was having pain and was thus cleared to play the match by Gloster.

The BCCI, peeved at the manner in which the bowler was retained in the team as a mere spectator for more than a month, had dashed off a letter to Gloster asking for an update on his injury. Gloster promptly cleared Patel for the deciding third Test.

Patel will also miss the last round Ranji Trophy Elite division Group B match against Mumbai at Nashik, starting January 10.